Total Eclipse of the Heart
by Elenna Telrunya
Summary: NEW UPDATE! *Taking Place AFTER the Manga* Kagome is to be Inuyasha's mate but when Sesshomaru arrives to take the Shikon Miko to the Youkai Court, history, from which she has never read, will change her life forever. SESS/KAG
1. The Miko Scroll

**I'M BACK!!! This is my new fanfic based that can also be found on . Many can see that I have also changed my Penname. Many things have happened to me since I was last on this site...I am making a fresh new start with a new name as well as this fanfic! It is my first Kagome/Sesshomaru fanfic that I hope you all enjoy. Please be nice and leave a review. It is what helps me and inspires me to write more chapters!**

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_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

Chapter One: The Miko Scroll

The spring air came smoothly past the old tree, whispering ancient voices through time itself as the mother and owner of the shrine placed a steady hand on the bark of Goshinboku. The Tree of Ages had survived much more than five hundred years and bore as many scars upon its body as would a hero returning from war. The biggest scar came from that of a half-demon who lay upon the bark with an arrow in his chest for fifty years until the mother and owner of the shrine's daughter fell down an ancient well in modern day Tokyo. It was her daughter that pulled the arrow from the half-demon five hundred years ago. It was her daughter that broke the Shikon no Tama. And it is her daughter whom made a decision after graduating from High School, that she would return to the Feudal Era to be a priestess and live forever with the half-breed she had rescued from the tree.

Sighing contently to herself, Mrs. Higurashi walked back to the steps of the shrine and began brushing away some of the old remnants of what fall had brought; a very cold winter. It was true that it had been three years since Kagome went through the well, never to return, and since then her younger brother had moved out to go to college. Still, Mrs. Higurashi looked to the old shrine that covered the old well; tears forming in her eyes as she worried for her daughter. It was true that she had searched libraries and records for any sign of her daughter, but alas, could only find scrolls of youkais and mikos. She had believed to have found Kagome once, but the tale was so ancient that the writing was a bit hard to read. Souta, who goes to college to study history, looked over this document and confessed that it could not have been his sister because the miko in the old legend was said to have mated with a youkai lord. The two of them knew that she was mated to Inuyasha, a half-breed, not a full-blooded youkai.

Brushing away the last of the old, dry tree limbs of Goshinboku, Mrs. Higurashi headed back into her home where she would make tea and spend her lonely afternoons alone with her father. This was what most days were like to the mother and owner of the shrine; though saddened she was, she could not help but feel a bit of comfort knowing that her families-wherever they may be-were happy.

Pouring the hot tea into her mug, Mrs. Higurashi prepared to call her father for lunch from the shed of antics outside, when there came a sudden knock at the door. Slowly walking to the door, not at all expecting visitors, Mrs. Higurashi found a strange man standing just outside her shrine.

He had dark brown eyes, slightly long black hair and looked to be around his thirties. He seemed to be of wealth, having on one of the finest suits that Mrs. Higurashi had ever seen and his smile as she opened the door could have knock her old legs to the floor like her younger self use to do around her children's father.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a shaky voice that immediately dissipated.

"I do hope so," his thick and rich voice replied. "I am looking for the Higurashi shrine."

She opened the door a bit wider. "You have found it. Are you looking for the old priest?"

"No, I am looking for a Mrs. Higurashi," he replied coolly.

"I am she. To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked.

The man reached into the inside of this jacket pocket and pulled out what looked to be a very old scroll. "May I come in?" he asked.

Blushing, she walks to the side and allows the man to come in. He makes himself comfortable on the nearby sofa while Mrs. Higurashi went to the kitchen and poured him a cup a tea, returning with both in her hands. He greatly accepted the cup, taking a sip before getting back to the scroll he had pulled out.

"Let me first say that it is a great honor in finally meeting you Mrs. Higurashi," he began. "I have heard nothing but the greatest of complements from someone who bid me to give you this scroll." He slowly began to open it. "I believe that you will know the writer of this scroll at first glance at the handwriting."

Mrs. Higurashi was carefully handed the scroll from the man, who seemed to sit back and relax; as if expecting her to read it aloud like some sort of fairytale to be read to a child. Looking down at the old document, Mrs. Higurashi could not help but gasp as the familiar calligraphy caught her eye.

"Kagome," she began to cry. She had spent some months cleaning out her daughter's rooms and had happened upon an old journal that she had kept during her stay in the Feudal Era. Though the handwriting seemed a bit more "mature" than that of the journal, Mrs. Higurashi would recognize her daughter's words anywhere.

"_Mom_," she began to read aloud and saw that the man did not protest to this. "_I want to first say that I love you so much and miss you terribly each day. I do not know how you deal with the pain of watching your daughter go down an old well into the past, knowing that you will never see her again, but you are so much of a hero to me already that it is difficult to put you in any higher of a title. Knowing that we would more than likely never meet again, I decided early on to make a document to hopefully reach you in the future, and as you are probably reading this now I can only assume that I succeeded. There is so much for me to tell you that I hardly know where to begin, but I believe the best place for me to start is the week after I left you in the modern world to begin a life with Inuyasha._"

The man sat back, listening carefully to the old words as some explanations would be made on his part as well as hers. Together, they would journey with Kagome five hundred years in the past where a miko from the future had a tale that had only just began.


	2. Continuous of Peace

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

Chapter Two: Continuous of Peace

"There you go Rin-chan; you have the hang of it!" Kagome cheered on as she watched Rin load another arrow and try to shoot at the home-made target Inuyasha was kind enough to make for them the day after Kagome agreeing to be his mate. She had agreed so long as there was a formal wedding from her time preformed, and he had agreed to this though not actually knowing what he was agreeing to. She looked at Rin's stance. "No Rin, do you remember what I just said?"

"Always have three fingers to pull back the arrow," Rin stated as she corrected her hand and studied the target with one eye closed.

"Yes and the other rule?" Kagome continued to ask, folding her arms across her chest.

Rin looked at Kagome for a minute in question and then gasped as she realized her mistake. "Oh! Keep both eyes open when shooting at your target!" Firing the arrow, Rin squealed in joy as she hit near the center of the target once again.

"Great job; I think I'll make a promising miko out of you yet!" Kagome praised as she patted the young girl's head.

"Yes, but Ri-I mean-I hope Kaeda-sensei gets well soon," Rin admitted with a sad look on her face. Just shortly after one week of returning to the Feudal Era forever, Kagome and Rin both discovered that Kaeda's health was beginning to fail. Although Rin had grown in the three years that Kagome was gone, she was still a child. Though it was hard to lie to her, Kagome tried not to get her hopes down when knowing that the old priestess was not long for the world.

"You know, I bet she would feel a lot better if you were to bring her some flowers," Kagome suggested and loved the way Rin's smile blossom at the mention of flowers. Shippo was away for a while for some training as his clan did. He was spending time with other Fox Youkai and learning some hidden talents from them. While away, Kagome began to form a wonderful bond with Sesshomaru-sama's young ward. The two seemed almost attached at the hip, which somewhat worried Inuyasha but Kagome reassured him many times that his brother had changed. Rin was proof of that.

"You're right Kagome-san! And I think I might pick some extra ones for Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin agreed.

"Rin, I don't think those flowers will make it to Sesshomaru," Kagome stated. "He's not due for another visit for another two weeks."

"But Kagome-san, Jaken-sama came by not two days ago and told Ri-I mean me that Sesshomaru would be arriving any day!" Rin protested and Kagome gave her a confused look. "He told Inuyasha too!" Kagome then rolled her eyes, suddenly believing what the young girl was saying. How shortly Inuyasha forgets to tell his future mate-to-be about matters when it came to his older brother?

Seeing that Kagome was bit on the "steam" side, Rin ran off towards the flowers nearby and started to gather a unique bouquet. She giggled to herself, knowing that dear "uncle" Inuyasha was in for another sitting by her dear Kagome-san.

"Rin, be a dear and stay here," Kagome stated. "Kagome-san is going to have a talk with a certain hanyou."

"We agreed not to use 'third-person' Kagome-san," Rin growled jokingly as she had seen Kagome do the past week whenever she had referred herself as "Rin" instead of using "I" or "me."

"Thank you, I will remember that," Kagome said sweetly. "Now don't stay too long out here. I should have lunch ready soon and as soon as we're done, I want the two of us to spend some time with Kaeda." After Rin nodded her head in agreement, Kagome turned back towards the village. Out of hearing range of Rin…or at least far enough to where she wouldn't damage Rin's hearing, Kagome let out a huge "SIT" at the top of her lungs. Somewhere on the other side of the village with Miroku, Sango, and their children, Inuyasha fell hard to the ground while the twins laughed and jumped on his back.

Sango giggled at the hanyou before looking up at her husband. "Seems to me that she's really mad at you again Inuyasha," she teased, holding her new infant to her chest as the child began to suckle her breast.

"Feh," he replied as the spell slowly wore off. "I don't know what I did to piss her off this time. Not too long ago, she was squealing over the fact that I had asked her to be my mate and now she's flipped on me." He growled and also looked to Miroku. "Women."

"Yes Inuyasha, but you have to remember that for most of the time we were hunting for the jewel shards, you had the knack of running off with Kikyo whenever the chance was given," Miroku sated as he picked up one of the twins. "You can't expect her to forget that never happened all too quickly."

There was another huge "SIT" that ran through the air and they laughed as Inuyasha made an even bigger crater for himself. Several more of the same command followed there after and before any of them knew it, Kagome had appeared beside the small group outside a hut with her hands on her hips.

"When were you going to tell me that Sesshomaru was coming?" Kagome angrily questioned the poor hanyou who was still trapped to the ground. He growled and raised his head.

"That damn brat! Can't keep her mouth shut!"

"SIT! Don't talk about Rin like that! She at least was warning me that he was coming! I'm the one whose training her, you know. And I'm the one who has to talk to him most of the time just to tell him the updates on Rin!" she spat out at him. "Care to tell me why he's coming back so early?"

"No," Inuyasha growled.

"SIT!" Kagome returned and watched him happily fall into the deep crater.

"Ah shummonss," Inuyasha's muffled voice stated.

"A what?" the three adults asked.

"Summons," Rin's voice replied as she rushed over to Kagome's side with her arms through of flowers. "Jaken-sama said Inuyasha was to give you the letter before Sesshomaru came."

"Damn brat," Inuyasha grunted under his breath, but Kagome didn't miss it and sat him again. "Stop it already! Do you want the stupid letter or not?"

"Just give it to her, Inuyasha," Sango said.

Struggling to sit up, knowing that he was going to have a lot of back pains the rest of the day, Inuyasha reached into his robes and pulled out a nice piece of parchment that got slightly dirty from all of the "sitting." Kagome quickly grabbed the letter and scanned it, gasping at its contents.

"What does it say Kagome?" Miroku asked gently, trying to peer at it.

"To the Shikon Miko," Kagome began slowly, "you are to report with a designated Youkai of protection to the Yuzuki Palace to discuss the succession of your journey and of ridding the world of the Shikon no Tama."

"That's it?" Rin asked, confused. "What does it mean Kagome-san?"

"It's not a good thing," Inuyasha replied angrily. Sango and Miroku nodded their heads in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Kagome continued to question.

"Youkai Lords do not gather just for the sake of a human, Kagome. Even if you are the Shikon Miko," Sango explained. "I've heard that they have only gathered on two occasions and the last one-"

"Was with my old man," Inuyasha answered.

"Your father?" Kagome repeated.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. "Because he was taking a human as a mate."

"But wouldn't that mean that they are just interested in the Shikon no Tama and the fact that I'm going to be your mate?" Kagome asked.

"They wouldn't care about me," Inuyasha growled, looking at her in the eyes. "To them, I do not exist. The only time that would matter to them when it comes to me is if I was to take a Youkai as my mate or something else like Sesshomaru naming me 'Prince' or something. Feh! As if that would ever happen!" He growled once more. "They must be really up to something if they are sending Sesshomaru as your protection."

"One can only assume that is because he is one of the Youkai Lords, Inuyasha," Miroku said. "We must not pray on the worst for Kagome. I'm sure that whatever is going to happen, our Shikon Miko will be able to handle it. After all, she was the one to defeat Naraku and the jewel, lest we forget."

"Miroku's right," Sango agreed and then smiled at Kagome. "I'm sure everything will be just fine. Rin, would you like some help over there?" She noticed the girl was having trouble holding the flowers in her arms.

"Yes please," Rin replied and Kagome reached down to help relieve her of some flowers. Sango attempted as well, but had some difficultly with a baby in her arm.

"Come on, let's get lunch ready!" Kagome smiled at the girl and headed inside the hut they all had been standing outside of.

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**Reviews are appreciated!**


	3. The Western Lord’s Visit

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

_Author's Note: For a short time, Sesshomaru will be talking to his "inner beast". The way to tell the difference between these two will be as such:_

_Sesshomaru's thoughts_

_**Sesshomaru's beast**_

Chapter Three: The Western Lord's Visit

Had it not been for the two pleasantly familiar scents to reach the sensitive nose of the Western Lord, he would have turned away from the disgusting air that dominated over the one he had been forcibly sent out to retrieve. It was required that a Youkai Lord give protection to the one who is summoned by the Youkai Court and since Lord Sesshomaru happened to have been familiar with his half-brother's miko, he was honor bound to obey the other Youkai Lords.

The miko however, intrigued Lord Sesshomaru.

Many a time, the human woman stood up to him with her bow and arrow, defending the useless hanyou. That first time he had saw her, standing behind his half-brother only to have her nearly die by his own claws no more than moments later in their father's tomb, Lord Sesshomaru was beyond furious at how this ningen dare defy him. And yet, though the Western Lord dare not ever utter the words aloud, he respected that miko. It was she, his enemy, who saved his ward on countless occasions such as the time with So'unga and Takemaru.

Lord Sesshomaru began to respect the miko even more when they last faced Naraku. He had found her injured by the hanyou, yet denied his stupid half-brother of really causing her harm. Even then, she was strong. Was that the reason he was drawn to saving her? He had done so on countless occasions but could find no reason after doing so.

"_Tell me Sesshomaru, do you have someone to protect?"_

Those words haunted the Western Lord. How he despised Inuyasha, Izayoi, and his father for such weaknesses.

_**What of our pup?**_ The beast cried out from inside of him. Sesshomaru sighed somewhat at the question. Yes, Rin was an entirely different matter. By placing the human child within the elder miko's care, Sesshomaru thought he would perhaps move on and forget the ningen. Unfortunately, by the time he had returned to the Western Lands, his beast was in a bit of an uproar, demanding for the safe return of his pup.

_Pup? Surely not this human child?_ Sesshomaru questioned himself and his beast.

_**Our PUP!**_ The beast growled at him and for some reason, the Western Lord felt no need to argue with his beast as he neared the village of where the miko was.

He assumed that his half-brother would be aware of his presence from the distance he now stood, and stopped in his tracks to wait for them to leave the hut. There was no need to go any further into this disgusting human village.

His assumptions had been correct as he watched his angered half-brother storm out of one of the larger huts of the village, Tessaiga in hand, ready to battle once again. The hanyou was unable to even make any threats to the Western Lord when he watched Inuyasha plummet into the ground, creating a rather large crater for himself.

"Sesshomaru-sama," called out the voice his young ward. Taking only some steps forward into the light, his left leg was impounded by a somewhat small body; but seeing as how that leg was use to the abuse, he rather welcomed it and patted the head of Rin.

"Rin, this Sesshomaru trusts you have been well?" he questioned as always.

"Yes, my lord! Kagome-san has been working really hard with Ri-I mean me since Kaeda-sensei has taken ill," Rin responded with a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Taken ill?" Sesshomaru asked.

"She is old," Kagome replied for Rin as she neared the two of them; happily stepping on Inuyasha's back along the way. Sesshomaru looked up from his ward and saw that the three of them were the only ones to have left the large hut, which very much pleased him. "It is nearing her time."

Sesshomaru nodded his head in understanding. "Then this Sesshomaru shall be retrieving his ward as well as you miko for this tale. Until you're return, Rin will be with this Sesshomaru."

"Another journey, my lord?" Rin questioned happily and with a nod of his head, she smiled. "What of Shippo?"

"What of the kitsune?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Feh, the kit is Kagome's pup if you haven't figured that out by now," Inuyasha stated as the spell finally warn off and joined up with them. "So what's with the summons?"

"This matter has nothing to do with you half-breed," Sesshomaru sneered before turning to the miko. "However, this Sesshomaru feels that there is some odd behavior behind this Court gathering." He turned as if to leave. "Miko, if you wish to retrieve your kit then do so now and meet this Sesshomaru at the Bone Eater's well. Come Rin."

"Hey Sesshomaru, I hope you know that I'm coming too!" Inuyasha yelled.

"You are to stay here, little brother," Sesshomaru commanded. "The orders from the Youkai Lords are that the miko is to appear, not her mate."

"We're not mates yet," Kagome blushed and Inuyasha did as well. She turned to Inuyasha. "Don't worry, I'll be back. Sesshomaru won't hurt me. He's just here to make sure I make it to this summons and when it's over, I'll come home." She kissed the side of his cheek. "I'll be back soon."

Growling, Inuyasha pulled Kagome to him and breathed in her scent one last time, as if he would never see her again. Looking over her shoulder, he saw his bastard brother looking at him in the eye.

"Protect her, or your ass is mine," he threatened and lead Kagome back to the village to retrieve Shippo.


	4. Journey Pt 1

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

_Author's Note: Yay, I am very pleased with the response that my fanfic is getting! It inspires me to update as quickly as I do and I will continue to do so for the next few chapters. I do promise longer chapters for this story and hope you have forgiven the last three "short" chapters. They will get longer…as this one has._

_Sesshomaru's beast has returned again for a short time in this chapter and the same rules apply as they did in the last:_

_**Sesshomaru's beast**_

_Sesshomaru's thoughts_

_Thank you so much for all of your support!_

Chapter Four: Journey Pt. 1

He had sensed her aura long after she had left her pack. Although she wore a smile as she neared the Bone Eater's well, the scent of distress was far more disturbing to him than the Western Lord would have cared to admit. He said nothing to her however and simply turned south where their destination lay. They would travel several days to the old Southern Youkai Temple; however, Sesshomaru was pleased to find that the miko remained silent as she followed in step behind him with the kitsune in her arms and his ward at her right side.

As the day progressed, Rin attempted to impress her Sesshomaru-sama but pointing out the herbs she had learned from Kagome-san. Though he never acknowledged to Rin that he was listening to her, Kagome could tell by the way his eyes would narrow or widen at the information his young ward was sharing with him. Smiling to herself, Kagome continued to remain silent and stay a certain distance away from the Western Lord in respect.

Much had changed when it came to Sesshomaru in Kagome's eyes. She was sure that when they had first met, he was nothing more than a killing machine that thirsted for the blood of both humans and hanyous alike. He bore no emotions nor any sign of remorse to those he killed or threatened. But now, as Kagome studied the Western Lord and the young girl who had moved during the day to walk by his side, the miko saw the layers on this creature that she could scarcely believe were there. His emotions, though little as they were, shown quite brightly through his golden eyes when looking at Rin every once in a while. Oh yes, Kagome was sure that this heartless demon was not as cold as he made himself out to be. Like herself and those of her pack, Naraku's "reign" had made a huge impact on Sesshomaru's life; for better or for worse.

"Miko," Sesshomaru called out in his usual cold tone that pulled Kagome out of her thoughts. "When we make camp tonight, it is imperative that you speak to this Sesshomaru about the upcoming Court gathering." They were still walking and Kagome was a bit annoyed that he didn't even look back at her when speaking. She narrowed her eyes slightly; it was in a way that very closely resembled the Inu Youkai in front of her.

"Alright," Kagome agreed, calming her anger as quickly as it filled her. Now was not the time for pitiless arguments. Looking up, she studied the sky as both Inuyasha and Kaeda had taught her and determined that it would be an hour or so more before the sun set.

Shippo, like Kagome, felt the need to remain silent during the trip, and hid from the Youkai Lord within his oka-san's arms. If there was one thing he had been learning from his academy, it was that you were never to speak to those of higher stance than you unless you were spoken to. Kagome and Shippo were neither pack nor family to this demon as of yet, so all words and actions would be judged according to Sesshomaru's standards.

"Shippo-chan, would you and Rin like to help me cook dinner tonight?" Kagome asked in her motherly tone after a few minutes of silence fell upon the pack of four travelers.

"The kit will accompany this Sesshomaru on his hunt," Sesshomaru answered before Shippo could react. Everyone seemed a bit shocked at this statement, but did not dare deny his words and the group fell into silence for the remainder of the day's trip.

When it came time for making the camp, Sesshomaru immediately demanded the departure of the kit and himself for that night's dinner. Still shocked by Sesshomaru's actions, Kagome nearly missed Rin calling out her name and pulling on her hand to go gather some firewood. Sesshomaru had led them to a well cleared area near a river and the firewood seemed plenty on the ground but Kagome studied the broken branches that she picked up. Most of the wood was drenched from rain that seemed to have fallen in this region no more than a week before. Rin was better at finding some dry wood, however, and they were able to prepare a fire in time to when the two Youkai returned.

"Oka-san, look! I caught two rabbits and Sesshomaru was able to find a wild boar," Shippo exclaimed as he handed over his catch to Kagome who smiled at hugged him in reward. Sesshomaru was not too far behind the kitsune and had his kill over his shoulder, skinned and ready to be cooked.

"Oh wow Sesshomaru-sama, we'll be able to take some with us tomorrow and not have to worry about stopping for lunch!" Rin stated happily as she hugged the Youkai Lord's leg once more.

"Hn," he responded and helped the miko cut at the meat, though was intrigued by the device she was using to do so.

Kagome seemed to notice his curious gaze and handed him her pocket knife for his inspection. He merely studied over it for a minute or two before handing it back to her. He would not question her about the object now, though he suspected it had to do with the Bone Eater's well that she and his half-breed brother fought over constantly three years earlier.

_**Not your typical miko,**_ his beast stated in confusion as well.

_No, she is not,_ Sesshomaru agreed and ended the conversation just a quickly as it had started as she put the knife away to cook the meat. "Rin, see to the meat." His young ward nodded her head. "Miko, you are to follow this Sesshomaru."

Bewildered, Kagome gasped but followed Sesshomaru out of hearing range of the children. He motioned her to take a seat and she was a little perplexed, but took the offer. Sesshomaru remained standing, taking his time to lean against a tree that stood across from where she sat. This could take some time to get through to the miko; however, the information he was to share with her was urgent and very important to her survival.

"Miko, as your protector, this Sesshomaru is obligated to inform you of the Youkai laws in which you will be subjugated to as someone who was summoned by the Youkai Court; Youkai or not," he began slowly and carefully, knowing fully well that this was a delicate matter when it came to humans since most where unaware of their culture. "The most important law that you must remember amongst Youkai is to be submissive. You are the Shikon Miko and therefore hold a higher stance than most, however, you are still female and to all Youkai, most females are submissive; especially to their mates and lords of higher stance than their own as the Youkai Court is to you.

"You must also remember that you are not to speak unless spoken to. You will be given you chances to speak at the summons, but you must never speak aloud without the Court's consent or your life will be forfeit," he warned.

Kagome giggled and he raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, it's just kind of silly to be killed for just speaking your mind," she said and quickly continued with, "but I understand that you are warning me so thank you."

"Hn," he responded and was not amused by her remark. These were important matters she was dealing with but here she was laughing at the simplest of Youkai laws. "To continue miko, it is Youkai law that no one is to make demands of the Court; not even the Lords who hold a place amongst the court. You must make requests, not demands for demands are a sign of disobedience and therefore un-submissive.

"And miko, this Sesshomaru need not remind you to keep your powers at bay. Most of the Youkai Lords in the court are of old and find mikos nothing more than their enemy. You must remember not to be intimidated by these Lords as they cannot harm you unless law is broken. Most Youkai view you with great respect as you are the Shikon Miko and the one to save the world of further destruction and chaos."

"And by respect, I am also guessing that they fear me as well," Kagome stated and watched the Youkai Lord nod his head. "Well maybe through this summons, I'll be able to prove to Youkai that not all mikos and humans are as bad as we are made out to be."

"That's yet to be seen, but agreed," Sesshomaru responded. Kagome was shocked, to say the least, at his response but rewarded it with a very gentle smile of hers and made the Western Lord's chest tighten strangely.

_Why is this miko affecting this Sesshomaru so strangely? She is ningen,_ he thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes at her.

_**She is the Shikon Miko,**_ his beast replied. _**She is deserving of respect and honor. Not even our sire's bitch held such a stance.**_

Unaware of his actions, Sesshomaru let out a low growl at the mention of Inuyasha's mother and this growl caused Kagome's mood to change into slight fear, though her face never showed it. Upon scenting her fear, the growls ceased and Sesshomaru moved off of the tree, looking towards camp as if signaling her that it was time to return.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome began slowly, not knowing whether now was a good time since she had heard the growl and was a bit confused. After all, she had only smiled. Was smiling such a bad thing for her to do? He looked in his direction which meant that she could continue and she looked away from his intense stare. "Will you come to the wedding?"

"No," he immediately stated and watched Kagome's confusion suddenly morph into anger.

"What? Why?" she exclaimed.

"This Sesshomaru need not explain his reasoning for attending a human ceremony to you, miko," he growled.

"But you're Inuyasha's brother," Kagome stated.

"Half-brother," he barked back. "This Sesshomaru is not concerned what the hanyou does with his pathetic life. Explain this miko, why so eager to mate the very same hanyou that ran off to the dead priestess? Is he not promised to her?"

Sesshomaru knew he had struck a chord and something in him twisted as Kagome turned her face away again with tears in her eyes and much distress in her aura.

"She is gone, Sesshomaru," Kagome said shakily. "I know that I am not Kikyo, and I don't expect to fill that space in Inuyasha's heart. I do fear that he is only marrying me because I am her reincarnation and look like her, but I hope that he sees that it is me as well." She looked up at him and fought to let the tears fall, to show weakness to this Youkai and know that he would take advantage of her if given the chance. She had to be strong. "I love him, Sesshomaru. I love him enough to know that I may be second best to him, but that will never stop me from loving or protecting him."

_"Do you have someone to protect?" _His father's words rang once again in his head and he growled at it, forcing it away once more.

Hearing the growl, Kagome sighed and determined that perhaps even after all these years, some things would never truly change.


	5. Journey Pt 2

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

_**WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!!**_

_**This chapter contains dark violence and attempted rape! It is not intended for viewers under the age of 18!**_

Chapter Five: Journey Pt. 2

During the quiet night beside the river, Kagome sat at the base of a large tree with the two children on either side of here as she stared up at the stars. Since returning to the Feudal Era, the miko had grown to having less sleep than that of a normal human, though having the Western Lord sitting off to her far right made her a bit unnerved. She noticed every once in a while at how he stared at her in a very unusual way…as if he were studying or waiting for her to attack him. Kagome chose to ignore this however and respond to it with a deep sigh. Instead, she chose to let her mind wander to the two children at her side.

Never once could she doubt that the young kitsune was her son. When returning to her world for those three years, Kagome always felt as if there were something missing from within her. Assuming that is was the love she felt for Inuyasha, she pushed it aside to focus moving on with her life. It's true that she never laid with anyone, nor bore a child of her own but there was a connection between her and the kit that upon returning, it took Kagome only a matter of minutes of having Shippo in her arms to realize that he was the missing part of her.

She now wondered how her mother could cope with a daughter like her. How is able to move on, knowing that she would never see her daughter again? How did she deal with the pain of watching her go down the well each time that she did? Kagome's eyes began to water at the thought as she then turned her gaze to Rin.

Such a strange child to have such bravery and love raging up within her that caused not only a youkai lord, but a miko to melt at her every smile made Kagome not help but think that there was something familiar about Rin that she carried around with her. Oh yes, Kagome definitely saw this young child as her own as well. Though they have known each other for a short time, the connection between the two was strong and beautiful and the fact that the miko shared the love of this child with a cold youkai lord was not at all threatening to Kagome. In fact, most would say she encouraged it. After all, Rin was the perfect child for Sesshomaru.

From a distance, he watched the loving gaze of the miko as she looked to his ward. Strangely, he felt no anger or jealousy towards this human for having such feelings for his pup. The miko had proven her loyalty to him many times; even saved the life of his ward on some occasions and now has taken the pup under her wing as a pupil to her powers. If the miko thought of the pup as hers, then the Western Lord would allow such a thing to be; not only for the sake of the miko but also for the sake of his pup. The pup would need the care of a woman. She was human and though she would have a youkai as her father, there were certain areas in which a human female would be needed. Yes, Sesshomaru would encourage this relationship to the best of his abilities.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome's voice called out to him and he narrowed his eyes at her in response. She had noticed how his expression had changed when she thought of his ward…and though he did not look angry, she could not help but feel concerned. "I know that I am nothing but a human to you; a worthless human that does not deserve even the right to ask anything of you but I would like to make a request as the miko who has taken your ward into her care. A miko who has cared for this girl as her own and sought nothing in return."

Sesshomaru blinked slowly and raised his head slightly. He knew the request even before the words were to leave her lips. "Fear not miko," he began immediately. "This Sesshomaru will not destroy the bond you have with his pup."

She smiled in return and nodded her head. "Thank you," she replied softly. "She is a very special child, Sesshomaru and very lucky to have a father like you."

"Hn," was his only reply and they sat in silence the rest of the night.

* * *

On the second day of their trip, Kagome tried to lighten the mood with some small games between her and the children. At first, they tried to play tag, but with a stoic youkai lord leading you to god-knows-where, that game came to a quick end. And when it came to "I Spy", it was Kagome who got annoyed with the game and decided to end that one quickly as well. So, when it was close to mid-day, Kagome introduced a new game called "Word Ends" where someone says a word from a specific topic and whatever letter the word ends in the next word must begin with that letter. (A/N: Example would be if someone said "sword", than the next person would have to have another word that begins with "d" like "dog" or "demon")

This game proved to be the longest lasting and the funniest as to seeing the Western Lord play this once in a while when the others came across a stumbling point. Whenever they came to a dead end, someone would pitch in a new topic so the game would start over again.

As the night approached again, Kagome and Rin were sent off to set up camp while the youkais went out to hunt for smaller prey for dinner. Though they still had some meat left over from the night before, Sesshomaru had insisted on the smaller prey as he explained to Kagome that these were chances for him to train Shippo.

Taking Rin outwards of their campsite to gather wood, Kagome decided to also use this time to continue training Rin as well and had the young girl pick up some plants to help make their meal taste better. However, something was amidst about this night.

The minute the demons left the girls alone, Kagome's miko powers sensed something fowl in the air. She had sensed this before when Sesshomaru came to her village the other day. He had masked his scent for most of the time until he let some of it loose for Inuyasha to detect.

Shivering, Kagome looked to Rin. "Rin, I want you to stay as close to me as you can," she ordered and the girl obeyed without question. Pulling out her bow and arrows, Kagome was able to prepare a single arrow as a youkai appeared from within the dark forest.

"Miko," his cold and yet seductive voice called out. He was very alluring with chestnut brown hair and eyes as black as tar. His skin was dark as well, as if he had been tanning for many years now. He stood as tall as Sesshomaru, though his clothing wasn't as symbolic of his royalty as Sesshomaru's was. This man had clothing that matched the woods that surrounded them; something made to help him blend in with the forest no doubt.

Pulling the arrow back threateningly, Kagome narrowed her eyes at the youkai. "What do you want?" she asked firmly.

"Why, you of course," he purred. "What a surprise to find a treasure like you in my passing!" He took a step forward and she a step back. "What a delicious woman you are!"

"I think not," Kagome growled. "I am under the protection of the Western Lord, on my way to the Youkai Court. You would do well to stay clear of my path."

"Oh I know of the summons, my miko," he stated as he took another step forward. "What youkai does not?"

"What are you implying?" Kagome asked curiously as she took a step back, following his little dance as it as leading them back to their camp.

"You are very special treasure, Shikon Miko," he began to purr again. "You are headed for a trap. Did you know that? I bet Lord Sesshomaru has not told you of this. The Youkai Lords have something very special planned for you. Oh yes…very special." He laughed in a way that reminded Kagome of Naraku. "Why not come with me? I will save you from such a horrible fate? You will make the ideal mate that I have been searching for. Come."

"No thanks, I'm already taken," Kagome barked back angrily, shielding Rin from the youkai's view.

"No Miko, you are not," he stated with a raised eyebrow. "You are unmarked and unmated."

"I am to be mated to the half-demon Inuyasha, half-brother of Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome announced proudly. "Now, I will ask you once again to leave. I do not wish to harm you."

"I am not leaving without you, my miko," he purred and suddenly pounced with amazing speed at her.

"Run Rin!" Kagome exclaimed as she let loose an arrow and dashed past the youkai. Rin took off back to camp, calling out Sesshomaru's name as Kagome ran in the opposite direction. Looking back over her shoulder, she watched the youkai grin at the game at hand and start to follow the miko deep into the woods.

"There is nowhere you can go, Miko," he called out from behind her. "I know these woods all too well. There is nowhere you can go that I won't be able to find you!"

She could hear the lust within his voice and was sickened by the thought. He was enjoying the game of cat and mouse and knew what the outcome more than likely would be if he caught her.

"We'll just have to see Youkai!" she yelled back and ducked as he tried to jump at her. He missed and she made a quick turn to the left, hearing him snarl behind her in a bit of anger.

"Oh we will, Miko," he growled at her, his voice sounding as if he were at her side. "And when I catch you, I shall devour you, body and soul! I will taste the sweetness of your virginity and make sure you learn that it is I, Prince Hayate, which has taken it!"

"Keep dreaming you creep!" she exclaimed as she made a sharp turn to the left again. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she fought against strong arms as she felt them rap around her waist and lift her into the air slightly, before slamming her body to the ground. His body was hard, hot, and very aroused as he held her down to the ground. She tried to summon her miko powers, but he quickly caught her hands and held them above her head, wrapping some beads that resembled those that Miroku wore, around them.

"No!" she began to scream and managed to knee him in the groin. Though he grunted, he remained on top of her and ripped away the top part of her kimono. The red and white kimono had been a gift from Kaeda, saying that these were left by Kikyo before she had died.

Tears forming in her eyes, Kagome felt useless at realizing that the youkai had bound her powers with the beads and she could no longer fight off her would-be rapist.

"Prince" Hayate immediately took one of her breasts into his mouth, sucking very hard and using his fangs to bite slightly into the skin around the nipple. Grinding against her hard, Kagome sobbed as her body reacted to his, pushing up against him in response. The youkai growled in pleasure, pleased by her reaction and used one hand to tease the other nipple as his other hand continued to hold her hands above her head.

"Please…stop," Kagome cried as she felt him twist and pull at her nipples. Hissing at his tongue sliding over the wounds he had caused.

"Never," his lustful voice responded as he slowly began to kiss his way up her body to her neck where he began to suck. "You will learn to enjoy my touches. Our first time may be rough, but you will be screaming out my name before I'm finished with you."

"No," she sobbed. His hand moved away from her breast and started to travel downwards as his mouth continued to suckle at the pulse on her neck. He slowly removed the bottom part of her kimono, wasting no time as he plunged two fingers into her slick entrance.

Kagome turned her face away as Hayate's eyes glowed red with passion at feeling her tightening around his intruding fingers. Screaming, she cried out as her body reacted against her wishes and fought the pleasure that was rising within her.

"Stop!" she screamed. "Please! SESSHOMARU!"

And as if the gods themselves had answered her prayers, Hayate's body quickly left hers. A large growl rang through the forest as two youkai fought over the young miko, who now took the rest of her tattered clothing and crawled away as best she could, remaining mostly in a ball-like shape to hide her shame.

She could hear the growls, the scrapping of skin, the bites and tears of the flesh from the two Youkai. When she heard one body slam into a nearby tree, Kagome ducked further into her ball shape, fearing that Hayate would pounce at her within this moment.

Instead of the wrath of an aroused youkai, as she expected, soft, loving arms wrapped around her form carefully.

"No, please," she began to cry out, unable to fight back as her arms were still bound by the beads.

"Sh, you are safe miko," Sesshomaru's familiar voice called out to her.

Kagome let the tears explode as the youkai lord pulled her deep into his chest. She clung to him as best as she could, and Sesshomaru did his best to undo the beads around her arms. Though hiding it from the outside world, the youkai lord winced within as he examined her body.

Her cries slowly calmed as she fell unconscious into exhaustion, but not before looking at him with her sad eyes in question.

"Rin is safe," he quickly responded as he lifted her into the air the best he could with his one arm. "Rest Miko." And she obeyed.

* * *

**REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED!!!!!!**


	6. Betrayal of the Youkai

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

_Sesshomaru's beast has returned again for a short time in this chapter and the same rules apply as they did in the last couple of chapters:_

_**Sesshomaru's beast**_

_Sesshomaru's thoughts_

Chapter Six: Betrayal of the Youkai

"No!" whimpered the young miko as she once again fought the arms that surrounded her small form. Her miko powers were still nullified from the beads that the youkai had used to bind her hands, yet somehow, her fighting spirit carried on. Oh yes, the poor miko was petrified but she continued to fight the Western Lord who simply growled at her movements once again as he had done so for most of the night.

"Cease your movements, Miko," Sesshomaru stated as his arms tightened. For hours now, he was contemplating on returning her to his hanyou brother; however, honor dictated that he continue this quest to the Youkai Court. It was nearing dawn and though they would be leaving soon, Sesshomaru had yet to return to his small camp with the young miko.

Jaken had found the two of them sometime during the late hours of the night and Sesshomaru had ordered him to watch the children. Needless to say, the small youkai was shocked to find the onna in the arms of his lord, yet he said nothing in return and did as the Western Lord requested. At the sight of the young miko, Jaken could only surmise what had happened…and he was saddened. Not only was the Shikon Miko violated, but Sesshomaru-sama's honor had been violated as well. As her protector, it was his duty to see that she was safe at all times, and yet this had happened. Jaken sighed as he came to the realization that there would be a great deal of fights upon the return to the Youkai Court.

Some days ago, Sesshomaru-sama had also received a summons, only to learn upon arrival that the elders of the Youkai Court had decided that the Western Lord would become the protector of the Shikon Miko. Even a youkai lord as powerful as Sesshomaru could not go against the orders of the elders of the Youkai Court, thus he became honor-bound to the young miko.

Sesshomaru's growl grew even more as the miko's powers slowly returned to her and she used them against him. Her skin was already scorched from the night of raging fevers, but her miko powers now made her body burn in a way that began to form blisters on the Western Lord's arms. "Miko!" he called out but still she did not respond. This was not acceptable; not for Sesshomaru and especially not for Kagome.

Just as Sesshomaru began to stand and head towards his small pack, he began to pick up a strange scent on the wind. He recognized the scent. He had met this youkai only on one other occasion in which the youkai had saved his ward from another blood-thirsty youkai. The Western Lord's eyes began to glow red. Kagome was indecent and though he had failed to protect her from the abuse of Prince Hayate of the Southern Youkai, Sesshomaru would ensure that her honor, whatever little of it left there was, would be kept intact.

Wrapping parts of his clothing around the young miko, Sesshomaru stood and awaited the confrontation with the lesser Youkai who was more than likely on his way to the Youkai Court as well.

_**Has he come to harm the miko?**_ His beast questioned as the scent became even stronger.

_This Sesshomaru does not believe so, _the Western Lord replied.

_**He will try to take the onna from us. **_His beast stated with a deep growl. _**We have failed her…**_

_It will not happen again_, Sesshomaru thought angrily.

"Kagome!" cried out the familiar youkai as he appeared before the Western Lord. "Sesshomaru? What the hell are you doing here and….WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO KAGOME?!"

"Are you familiar with this onna?" Sesshomaru questioned out of curiosity.

"You bastard, don't change the subject!" the youkai exclaimed. "What the hell happened to my woman?!"

_**His woman?**_ His beast growled.

_He lies, _Sesshomaru replied. _The onna is to be Inuyasha's mate…not this wolf's._

"Answer me Sesshomaru!" Kouga exclaimed as he neared Kagome. Sesshomaru's eyes glowed red as the wolf neared his person…the miko somehow reacting to this and grabbing the Western Lord's armor and pushing her face into his chest.

"You are not obligated to question this Sesshomaru, wolf," Sesshomaru barked in response. "The miko is in this Sesshomaru's protection; decreed by the Youkai Court."

"And this is your way of protection?" Kouga growled. "I know you don't necessarily care for humans, with the exception of your ward, but is the Shikon Miko! Kagome is the brave woman who stood against my pack, my tribe, in order to save the kitsune. This is the onna that defeated not only Naraku AND the Shikon no Tama, but other countless youkai that simply saw her and Inuyasha as easy targets."

Sesshomaru rushed forward as fast and gently as he could with Kagome secure in his arms. One of his claws lashed out at the young lord, who, without the sacred jewel shards was not nearly as fast as he had been before, was unsuccessful at moving out of the way.

"Do NOT take this Sesshomaru so naïve, wolf," Sesshomaru growled. "You have not been a lord long enough to earn this Sesshomaru's alliance so do not take heed that your life would not be forfeit for such accusations."

* * *

"Ses-…-maru," Kagome's sweet and fragile voice called out. The red from the youkai's eyes completely dissipated as the Western Lord gazed down at the onna who barely had her eyes open.

"Miko," Sesshomaru responded, his voice still as cold as it had been when confronting Kouga.

"Don't….kill…please," she rasped out as her grip on his armor tightened. The Western Lord growled in response…his grip on the wolf's neck becoming even more threatening as nails punctured the skin.

Sesshomaru was honor-bound to protect this onna…he had failed…now the Western Lord was left indebted to the Shikon Miko. This too was unacceptable.

Kouga was set loose from the youkai lord's deadly claws and landed on the ground below him with a large grunt.

Sesshomaru turned back in the direction of his pack. "Do not cross my path again, wolf," Sesshomaru warned as he disappeared in the forest with a smile upon Kagome's face.

Though conscious, Kagome did not say another word when returning to the small camp, nor did she speak that day. She had smiled for the children, and had told Sesshomaru that she could walk on her own…proving to him she actually could when she fought her way out of his arms sometime after they began their journey again.

Sesshomaru simply growled at her stubbornness and then took lead once again; both acting as if nothing had ever happened the night before. The children could clearly see the pain in the miko as she walked "happily" behind the Western Lord and it concerned them greatly. If Kagome did not face her pain now…there would be much more before the day or week for that matter was over.

Jaken was even concerned for the miko. She continued to smile, but her silence was not at all to his liking. In just a short period of time, the small youkai had grown accustomed to Kagome's annoying mouth and missed it slightly.

"Oka-san?" Shippo asked but got one of Kagome's fake smiles n return. "Oka-san, are you going to be alright?"

"Yes, Shippo," she replied softly. "I'll-"

She nearly collided with the back of the Western Lord as he made am immediate stop and started to sniff around the air.

"Sesshomaru?" she called out, trying to get his attention.

"The Youkai Court is ahead," Sesshomaru stated and when Kagome tried to move around him to keep going, he suddenly grabbed the upper part of her right arm harshly to hold her back. "Something is amiss, Miko."

Kagome looked at him with confusion but then looked around the area and tried to let some of her miko powers loose to spot any auras. When she could not detect any, she turned back to Sesshomaru who let her arm go. His eyes were narrowed and were looking on one particular destination to their far right.

"What is it Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked as she started to get worried. She hurried over to Kagome's side, Shippo following right behind her. Both children grabbed a hold of each of her legs, shaking slightly from the unknown.

"Don not move," Sesshomaru growled as he turned his back to his small pack. "Jaken."

"Yes my lord!" the small imp replied, as if knowing exactly what his master was thinking. He jumped in from of his lord and placed the staff in the ground. "BEWARE THE POWER OF STAFF OF TWO HEADS!"

Fire blasted into the trees, several shadows moving within them to avoid the small youkai's attack. Kagome gasped as she realized that these shadows were masking their scent. They were surrounded.

"Ridiculous," Sesshomaru growled. "Show yourself!"

A moment later, Kagome's scream broke through the air and Sesshomaru quickly turned to see two inu-youkai grabbing her by the arms. The Western Lord let out a large growl, his eyes bleeding red as he began to charge at those who dared to touch what was his protection.

"Stop right there, Sesshomaru," spoke out a very powerful voice as a youkai who resembled very closely to Sesshomaru, appeared from within the forest. Sesshomaru did stay in his place, but his eyes did not recede in color. The inu-youkai's gaze turned from the Western Lord to the young miko who had an expression on her face that looked beyond petrified.

"What's going on?" she screamed, fighting against the youkai who held her and was successful at purifying their hands. They screamed at the assault and Kagome took the chance to run with the children to Sesshomaru's side. He immediately placed her behind him and let out a low growl of warning. "Sesshomaru?"

"Sesshomaru, calm that beast of yours," the inu-youkai demanded as he took a step forward, warning his men not to move. When the Western Lord failed to comply, the inu-youkai took another step forward. "Pup, listen well to your elder; you are not alpha in these lands."

Somehow, those words reached Sesshomaru and the red from his eyes faded. The Western Lord stood tall, making sure that the miko was out of this inu-youkai's gaze.

"Please, tell me what's happening." Kagome's voice called out to him but Sesshomaru did not respond.

"It is alright, Shikon Miko," the inu-youkai responded. "You are safe now." Kagome heard a growl erupt from the male in front of them. "You are a disgrace, pup."

"Hisao-sama," Sesshomaru began to growl once more.

"Silence, Sesshomaru!" Hisao exclaimed. "You have disappointed your kin this day! Now, stand aside and let the miko face me."

Kagome gasped as Sesshomaru did as the Hisao stated. The children moved behind her as the elder inu-youkai moved closer to her. He smiled at her and bowed slightly in greeting; the miko bowed slowly in reply.

"Take her," Hisao ordered, many youkai suddenly coming forward and wrapping enchantment beads around her hands. Her screams were heart-wrenching to the inu-youkai as she was pulled away from the area. The children began screaming her name as well, but slowly moved to Sesshomaru's side in fear.

"Oka-san!" Shippo cried out.

"Sesshomaru-sama, bring her back please!" Rin pleaded to her lord, but he did not even acknowledge her.

"Be calm, pups," Hisao stated. "The miko will alright. We are taking her away for her own protection." His eyes began to bleed red as he looked to Sesshomaru. "You are to WATCH these pups and BRING them SAFELY to the Court!" He turned away from the Western Lord but paused and looked back over his shoulder. "You have shamed your sire, Sesshomaru. I thank the kamis my brother is not here to witness such humility."

* * *

**A/N: Hisao IS Sesshomaru's uncle. I will explain more about this relative in the upcoming chapters. For now, has now all the chapters that is on ...I will try working on new chapters as fast as I can. I am working with a beta on this story so please bare with me!**

**REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED AND WANTED!!**


	7. The Questioning

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

_A/N: WOW! It's been a long while, hasn't it? I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE! I have been sick, I've been taking care of a sick parent, and to top it off, school has started back up for me. BUT GUESS WHAT? _

_**I AM BACK!**_

_I'm going to try updating this story more and more over the next couple of days/weeks but I can't make any promises on when the next chapter will be up!_

_By the way, in this chapter, Kagome will finally get a few thoughts to herself and her thoughts are simply going to be in italics like this note! Sesshomaru's thoughts and beast has made a return as well and if you want to see the difference, please view a previous chapter where this is explained._

_ALSO, as LC Rose has pointed out in her stories, many people have commented on how "tai youkai" is referred to as a fish youkai, so Sesshomaru and his kin will be referred to as "daiyoukai." Changes will be made to this later on, once more chapters have been added._

_PLEASE REVIEW! _

_I really appreciate all that I have received and would love more for this chapter and the future ones._

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

Chapter Seven: The Questioning

"Calm yourself, Miko," Hisao growled as he heard her hiss behind him from the restraints. "If you stop fighting, the pain will lessen. We do not wish to harm you in any way."

"Then let me go!" she barked right back at him. "You don't have to tie me up! This isn't right! Please!" She nearly fell to her knees from the power the beads as her miko power fought against the youki flowing from the restraints but two inu youkai were there to grab her before she fell. The small group stopped as their Lord turned to the Miko, raising her chin to meet her eyes that held nothing but pure fear.

"This Hisao apologizes greatly for the lack of protection from his kin," he stated slowly, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "You are a precious treasure Kagome; a dangerous one. No harm will come to you, this Hisao promises you that. The restraints must stay. We are near the castle and once you are confined to your room, the restraints will be removed until the Youkai Court is fully gathered." He released her chin and nodded to the two inu youkai to release her. "At that time, I shall return the kitsune to you."

Kagome remained on the ground for a moment longer as Lord Hisao turned from her, ready to begin traveling again. "Kin?" she repeated slowly, as if stunned for a moment. "You're related to Sesshomaru?"

Lord Hisao turned back to Kagome with a smirk on his face that closely resembled a look she received from another daiyoukai when they had first met. This smirk however, compared to the sadistic and "evil" look Sesshomaru had given her when they first met, was sweet and gentle.

"This Hisao is brother to Inu no Taisho," he simply stated in a very proud manner.

"So, you're his uncle?" Kagome asked, finding that the more she calmed, the more the restraints didn't fight against her.

"Correct," he replied with a warm smile.

"Wouldn't it have been easier just to have said you're his uncle?" Kagome questioned with a smirk of her own and a raised eyebrow. She smiled a bit when Lord Hisao chuckled at her question.

"Perhaps," he simply stated. "But perhaps this Hisao simply wanted to say it in a 'nicer' way."

"I think you mean in a fancier way," Kagome said with a big smile on her face. Lord Hisao began walking over to her again and the young miko stood up to him, much stronger than mere moments ago. He stopped only a foot away from her, looking at her face as if searching for something and when he did, he chuckled again.

"Miko-"

"Kagome," she retorted.

Lord Hisao chuckled once more. "Kagome," he purred gently like milk and honey that was coated so sweetly, it sent chills up the young miko's spine. "I have answered your question; now tell me an answer I would enjoy to know."

"Like what?" she asked, a bit confused.

"How is it that a miko as powerful as you are, seemed to be the most troublesome creature this Hisao have ever laid eyes on?" His question was lighthearted and friendly but Kagome could not help but huff at the arrogant daiyoukai.

_How is it that all inu youkai, hanyou or not, seem to find the easiest ways in making me angry?_ Kagome asked herself as she tried to push down her anger before her reiki started to affect the restraints. She smiled and turned held her chin up high to Lord Hisao. "That, Hisao-sama, is a question you'll have to ask both of your nephews."

"Now what kind of answer is that, Kagome?" Lord Hisao questioned further with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"It's my answer, Hisao-sama…so take it, or leave it. It's really up to you," she said and looked at each of the inu youkai on either side of her. "I think I'm ready to go now, boys."

Lord Hisao erupted with a laugh that was deep and yet shocking all at the same time. When the laugh faded back into his chuckles, he nodded his head to Kagome. "Interesting, Kagome; you are one very interesting little miko," he stated with a smile on his face. "And here I was beginning to believe all ningens were dull."

"Oh, yeah? Without that laugh, I had begun to believe that all youkai, daiyoukai in particular, were emotionless," she retorted back at him with a chuckle of her own.

"That would only pertain to Sesshomaru, young one," Lord Hisao replied to her as he gently patted her head as a parent would to a child. "It is an unfortunate gene he got from his mother's side." With that, he turned from her and continued to walk. Kagome smiled at him and found that the restraints were like regular rope against her skin, making the rest of her journey even more tolerable.

But even within minutes of walking calmly behind the older daiyoukai, Kagome couldn't help but glance at the cloudy sky above them as her thoughts not only left to her intended but to another daiyoukai as well.

_Where are you...?_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Not too far behind the Inu youkai and miko, a certain daiyoukai was looking up at the sky as well in the exact same moment, pausing in his steps as he sniffed the air. Her scent was still fresh on the wind, along with that of his kin and others. The miko was disturbed and distraught…so why did he suddenly pick up the sound of laughter with his keen hearing?

"Sesshomaru-sama?" his young ward questioned him as she noticed him stop. She had stopped crying moments ago and now decided that she would trust in her Lord. Sesshomaru ignored her, as the young girl expected he would, and just continued to sniff the air. Sighing, she turned to look at Shippo who was still sniffling and calling out Kagome's name. "It's going to be ok, Shippo."

Shippo looked up to Rin and smiled a bit. "But Kagome-"

"Sesshomaru-sama will get her back," she turned back to her Lord, "won't you Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Hn," he simply replied and looked at the two of the out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that the kitsune was still upset which annoyed the daiyoukai to no end, but it could not be helped. The miko was like a mother the kitsune, Sesshomaru knew this and allowed the kit to shed his emotions.

_**Unlike what master did,**_ his beast stated, causing a low growl to erupt from Sesshomaru.

_Silence,_ he commanded and the beast simply hid away once more for the time being. _Now is not the time to dwell with events that cannot change…no matter how much this Sesshomaru wishes they would._

Sesshomaru looked back up to the sky as thoughts of his father slowly vanished from his thoughts and a certain young miko replaced them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha sighed as he looked into the sky, taking a break from watching the trees where his mate had vanished from with his older half-brother. He had considered following them, but if their battle against Naraku and the Shikon no Tama had taught the hanyou anything, it was to trust the young miko that had captured his heart.

He could hear footsteps behind them and recognized the scent of the monk long before he was even close.

"You must have faith, Inuyasha," Miroku stated as he came to stand side-by-side with his dear friend.

"I do, Miroku," Inuyasha replied. "It's that bastard I don't trust."

Miroku smiled. "I wasn't referring to Kagome." Inuyasha glared at him from the corner of his eye. "I'm serious. Perhaps it's time you start having at least a little faith in Lord Sesshomaru."

"The hell I will," Inuyasha growled.

"And why not?" Miroku questioned. "He hasn't tried fighting with you for years now."

"For that brat's sake," Inuyasha replied harshly. "If it wasn't for the fact that Kagome was her sensei-"

"While that might be true to some degree, Inuyasha, I believe that Sesshomaru has changed over the years…much like you," the monk stated and then patted his friend's shoulder.

"Keh, that bastard and I are nothing alike."

"Oh I think you are," Miroku replied. "I think you can't see it, but the rest of us do. Maybe one day, you'll see that as well."

"Unlikely," Inuyasha growled as he sniffed the air in hopes of smelling his mate on the wind…but her scent was long gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome couldn't help the gasp escape her as magnificent gates started to appear down a long, cleared path Lord Hisao had lead them two about two miles ago. She had tried easing the tension even more around them after Lord Hisao's burst of laughter with the other inu youkai, and the young miko was a bit shocked, to say the least, at how "easy-going" they seemed to respond to her. At one point when they had suddenly come across the path, Hisao looked over his shoulder at Kagome.

"Don't be fooled, Kagome," he began slowly with another one of those smirks on his face. "You are a strange human; unlike most that all of us come in contact with on a daily basis. You are also the Shikon Miko, and though you have restraints on you to contain your power, your tale is not foreign to us. You are a treasure."

"I'm not an object, Hisao-sama," Kagome stated firmly as she tried catching up to him a bit more.

"While that is true for where humans are concerned, Kagome, it is different in your case," he simply replied in a much more serious tone.

"What do you mean?" she asked, watching in amazement as the gates got bigger and bigger. The barrier around this place was strong, almost frightening, but there was a sense of peace about it. When she first felt the barrier, Kagome expected to feel something like electricity biting at her body, but she got acceptance instead. The large wooden doors that were attached to a massive white wall slowly opened when the group was merely within a hundred feet of it.

"You will find out, soon enough," Lord Hisao answered as they entered the gates, his face turning into a mask that Kagome was all too familiar with when it came to Sesshomaru.

As soon as they past the large gates, a huge variety of youkai began to surround the group. Most of them happened to be young female youkai who wanted a good glimpse at Kagome, but the male inu youkai near her kept them at bay as they past. Besides, as soon as they all recognized Lord Hisao, they bowed respectfully and moved out of their way.

One female youkai, however, did not.

"Oh!" she cried out with a bright smile on her face. She hit full force at Kagome with a huge hug, shocking the poor miko out of her mind. "You poor dear! I am so sorry about the restraints! As soon as we get you to your room, I'll have a nice bath made ready for you and I'll personally see to it that you receive a nice meal to go with it!"

"Kameyo," Lord Hisao growled out in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, Hisao, I'm sorry I didn't see you there," Kameyo-sama greeted with a large smile. She was a young youkai, not looking much older than Sesshomaru and could have fooled anyone at being a human except for her pointed ears and bright blue eyes. She had long, flowing black hair and tan-like skin. Kameyo was tall as well, possibly the same height as Sesshomaru. She wore a bright colored kimono-orange, white, and blue- with a sakura design across the entire gown. She giggled and turned back to Kagome. "Again, I'm sorry! It was very rude of me to rush up without introductions!" She bowed slightly in front of Kagome and the young miko repaid her with a bow of her own. "I am Lady Kameyo, and the Lady of the Eastern Lands."

"It's very nice to meet you," Kagome replied with a blush.

"Oh no, my dear, it's very nice to meet you!" Kameyo stated with giggles. She looked back at Lord Hisao, "Hisao, dear, you didn't tell me she was so adorable!"

"Only you would know, Kameyo," Hisao said as he turned back to Kagome. The young miko was looking up at him with a bit of a confused look and he smirked. "Kameyo is a rare youkai…one who has yet to discover her youkai form though it is obvious she is nearly as old Sesshomaru."

"Oh…don't compare me to that cold-hearted creature, if you will Hisao," Kameyo stated in disgust.

"My apologies, Kameyo, but Lady Kagome happens to know my nephew well and I had no one else to compare you with so she could understand," Hisao quickly and calmly explained. "With that said, Kameyo was thought to be human when the Eastern Lord, Lady Chie, found her along their borders as a pup."

"We don't know much about my parents, but Lady Chie was an exceptional mother who allowed me the freedom to roam all over the place," Kameyo continued. "My mother was also fond of ningens, having many maids and helpers being ningens. One of my best friends was a ningen, but she died centuries ago."

"I'm sorry," Kagome apologized with a look of awe on her face.

"It's quite alright," Kameyo smiled. "She had a long and pleasant life. I am proud to say that her descendants still live on my land to this day." The lady sighed heavily at that thought. "Now then, how about a nice bath, Lady Kagome?"

"Kagome, please," she quickly stated. "I hardly feel like a lady in this place."

"Oh but you are, my dear," Kameyo said as she patted the young miko's shoulder. "While there are others here who will not like the idea, you are as much an equal in the youkai eyes as Hisao or I to our kin."

"That's very kind of you, Kameyo-sama, but I would still like to be referred to as Kagome, if that's alright," she gently asked and Hisao smiled. Kameyo couldn't help but smile as well.

"Very well then," she said with a fake sigh. "Now then, let's get you settled. Come!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It's safe to say that Sesshomaru felt somewhat "uncomfortable" when walking past the gates of the castle and received many stares that were not to his liking, especially those of Lord Hisao who seemed to be waiting for him on the stairs leading into the palace. His uncle's clothes had changed from his battle ware into much more traditional and ancient robes of their ancestors. Robes, in which, Sesshomaru would be forced to wear as well.

"Jun, please see to the pups," Hisao ordered and one of the ladies of the palace stepped forward to usher the kids away. Both looked to Sesshomaru who simply nodded his head at them and watched them follow instep behind the young taiyoukai.

Turning back to his kin, Sesshomaru bowed his head slightly to his elder, expecting somewhat of a punishment from the brother of his sire.

"You have been reckless, pup," Hisao growled. "I do not regret my earlier words so I will not apologize for what has been said. Your orders are to change for the ceremony and pray the news of what has transpired has not reached Lord Kazuhiro or Lady Kameyo for that matter. Kameyo has taking a strong liking to the young miko and it would be unwise to upset her with such news."

"To whom did the ookami speak to?" Sesshomaru questioned with his regular monotone voice.

Hisao sighed heavily. "It is fortunate that it was only I, and seeing as how Lord Kouga thought it best to come to his kin, I have warned him against speaking to others. I will not have the Shikon Miko's name shamed with such with introductions."

"Nor will this Sesshomaru," he agreed and started to walk past his uncle, into the palace. He paused when he was side-by-side with Lord Hisao. "Do you know yet why they have decided to do this gathering?"

Hisao nodded his head. "I believe you know some of the reasons as well, or suspected them."

"Hn," Sesshomaru responded and continued inside where he prepared for the Youkai Court.


	8. The Gathering of the Youkai Court

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

_A/N: Well dear readers, I know you guys have been waiting for this chapter for a long time, but a lot of stuff has been happening to be. _

_First, you should know that I am currently getting over Pneumonia. I'm well now and nearly fully recovered from this sickness so you really don't have to worry about me! ^_^_

_Secondly, my grandmother passed away. As an important part of my life, I would like to dedicate this chapter to her. I'm going to miss her terribly, but life does go on and I know that she would want nothing more than to see me happy._

_Thirdly, I HAVE A NEW BETA!! Thank you so much LC Rose for all your help with this! I'm so thankful to have you helping me with my fanfic! I owe you BIG time!_

_Please enjoy and be sure to review! I love comments b/c each of them makes me laugh and inspires me to continue on with my fanfics!_

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Chapter Eight: The Gathering of the Youkai Court

Kagome lay on the bed, her restraints removed the moment she had entered, as Yoko and Tsukiko, two ladies of Lady Kameyo whom would be Kagome's ladies during her stay, moved in and out of her room, delivering her a formal kimono she would have to wear in front of the Youkai Court and bringing her in a small meal that consisted merely of fruits and vegetables.

When she was finished with her meal, Kagome called on Yoko – a kitsune youkai who looked to be about thirteen in human years – to take her to the bathing room. In the room, she found three new ladies – most were also kitsune youkai though she could definitely tell that there was one inu youkai as well – who helped her into the bath. She felt a little uncomfortable at first, to have three youkai bathing her, but that discomfort quickly passed as they began to wash her hair. Yoko was there, talking kindly to her and trying to ease the other youkai around her, telling them how their Lady Kameyo loved her at first sight. Kagome giggled at this and the tension slowly dissipated from the room.

As they began to wash her body, Kagome hissed as their hands ran across the bruises on her skin.

"Poor dear," the inu youkai said as she smoothly ran her hand over the bruises. "I hope Hisao-sama is giving Sessho-"

"Maiko!" Yoko exclaimed, giving the inu youkai a glare that had Kagome stiffen a bit.

"What's the matter?" Kagome asked, feeling a bit confused about the outburst.

"Nothing, Kagome-sama," Yoko purred as she smiled at the young miko, but Kagome raised her eyebrow at her, clearly stating that she didn't buy the obvious lie.

"Oh, Kagome-sama, how you must have suffered," one of the other kitsune youkai called out as they too ran a hand over a bruise. "To think that Sesshomaru-sama allowed harm to someone like you! And under his protection…oh how horrible!"

"But I wasn't raped," Kagome stated as she shook off the memories of the assault. "I mean-sure I was assaulted, but if it hadn't been for Sesshomaru, it could have been much worse!"

"It matters not if there even was penetration, Kagome-sama," Yoko stated. "You see, in Youkai society, honor is something that is very sacred to us. Sesshomaru-sama was chosen to be your protector along your journey here, which is a very great honor given by the other Youkai Lords. For you to be assaulted means that Sesshomaru-sama has shamed the honor given to him by the Youkai Lords. For a Youkai Lord to be shamed by such, could force a Lord into exile, but luckily, Hisao-sama has ceased the news of your assault from reaching the other Youkai Lords. Sesshomaru-sama may have made a mistake in not protecting you as well as he should have, but he is a good ruler for the Western Lands."

The other youkai ladies nodded their heads in agreement and Kagome nodded hers in understanding. She continued to listen to the youkai ladies "gossip" about Sesshomaru and his "cold" personality, wondering when he would consider taking a mate. When Kagome was finished with her bath, she was taken back to her room where Yoko and Tsukiko dressed her in her formal kimono – the colors matched similarly to Sesshomaru's usually outfit of white, red, black, and yellow sash – and she was told to wait in her room until the Youkai Court summoned her.

Walking over to the window, and gazing into the golden colors of sunset that had slowly begun to form, Kagome lost herself to her thoughts of Inuyasha and her family. She missed them so much and wanted nothing more than to run back into their arms, never to leave them again. Thoughts of her family in Tokyo began to run through her mind and Kagome couldn't help the tears that started to fall. She got so caught up with her emotions, that she never felt the male youkai enter her room, nor saw the emotions flutter across his face.

"This-," his familiar voice began to state, catching Kagome's attention who gasped and quickly wiped the tears away from her face and began to walk over to Sesshomaru.

"I'm sorry-"she paused with her rambling as he held up a clawed hand.

"No, miko," Sesshomaru stated firmly and the hand fell to his side. "It is _I _who should apologize to you." Kagome's eyes widened at his statement but allowed him to continue, offering her bed as a place to sit for the two of them, but he refused with a shake of his head. He made a short sigh before continuing. "It was not this Sesshomaru's intention for harm to come to you."

"I know," Kagome replied softly with a gentle smile. "Sesshomaru, whatever it is that your society believes I just want you to know that I do not blame you." She sighed and placed a hand on his chest, surprising him though he never showed it. "What has happened is in the past; all I wish to do now is go have a talk with the Youkai Court and determine what they want from me. Then I wish to travel back to my village and become your brother's mate." She grinned. "And I'm still hoping you reconsider on joining us for the wedding."

"Hn," Sesshomaru simply replied with a narrowing of his eyes and Kagome laughed at his response. As her laughed died, she lowered her hand as Sesshomaru lifted an object into her view with his left hand. It was a leather-like collar. "This Sesshomaru was ordered to place this on you."

Kagome looked a bit fearful for just a second, but nodded her head and turned around, thankful that her hair had been placed up in an elegant bun. She felt as the collar was placed around her neck, the coolness of it making her shiver slightly from it. It was almost a relief, and shocking at the same time, as she felt Sesshomaru's warm hand touch to back of her neck, two fingers going under the strap and moving around her neck to check the tightness of his work.

When he was satisfied with the placement of the collar, his hands left her neck and Kagome felt an immediate pull from the collar, reaching up, she started gasping as the collar made it seem like someone was choking her.

"Calm yourself, miko," Sesshomaru said as he watched her struggle against the binds. "The pull of the collar will pass in but a moment's time."

True to his word, as soon as the Kagome took in a deep breath the tightness of the collar was gone. Sighing once more, she turned back to Sesshomaru whose eyes had a tint of red in them and Kagome tilted her head at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked but watched as he suddenly turned, walking over to her door. "Sesshomaru?"

"Miko, would you be willing to do anything to live?" Sesshomaru paused and questioned, not even looking over his shoulder as he asked.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"This Sesshomaru does not repeat himself," he stated, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, the tint of red still there.

"I-I guess so," Kagome replied and jumped slightly as there was a hard knock at her door. She watched Sesshomaru walk over and open the door, revealing a gorgeous male youkai-obviously older, thought not by much, than Sesshomaru- waiting outside the door. He had long brown hair, bright blue eyes and markings on his face that were similar to Sesshomaru. He also had pointed ears and a long tail that resembled Kouga's behind his very muscular form.

"Greetings Sesshomaru-sama, Kagome-sama," he said with a bow. His voice was deep and very smooth like velvet. Kagome had to stop herself from shivering. "My name is Seigi and I am here to escort Kagome-sama to meet with the Youkai Court."

"I've been summoned?" Kagome questioned and Seigi nodded his head. "Alright then." Sesshomaru quickly exited the room and waited outside the door with Seigi. Kagome slowly joined them and smiled when Seigi held out his arm to her, but a low growl stopped her from complying with the offer.

"You will walk with this Sesshomaru, miko," the arrogant daiyoukai stated, his back still to her.

"I was told to escort her, Sesshomaru-sama," Seigi began to argue.

"And you shall, ookami," Sesshomaru glared back as he turned slightly to them. "But the miko shall walk with this Sesshomaru."

Kagome smiled at Seigi and patted him on the shoulder. "It's ok, Seigi," she stated and walked over to Sesshomaru's side as he began walking down the hall. Kagome giggled as she heard the two of them growl and she shook her head. _Men._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sesshomaru paused outside of two grand screen doors; a depiction of a variety of youkai in their true forms surrounded in a circle was beautifully painted on the screen doors. There were many voices coming from inside the room; some were male and they sounded very angry. There were few female voices and they too seemed a bit angry though their anger was directed at the male voices.

"This is where we depart," Sesshomaru stated as he turned to Kagome, who looked a bit fearful. It was his turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "Are you afraid, miko?"

"Uh…"Kagome could hardly get the words out at first, but then she made her back straight, and held her chin up high. "No." Her tone was firm and strong; this was the Shikon Miko whom the youkai feared yet respected. No one dared defy her.

Sesshomaru smirked at her. "We shall see," he simply stated and looked to Seigi who nodded his head. He suddenly turned from them and slid the door open, walking in and turning back only to close the door.

"We are to wait until your name is called, Kagome-sama," Seigi stated as soon as the door shut.

Kagome nearly missed what Seigi had stated as she listened as the room got quiet the moment Sesshomaru entered the room. Hisao could be heard greeting him but it was a bit obvious that the other lords did not like Sesshomaru at the way they greeted him. Lady Kameyo was loud and very happy to see Sesshomaru and Kagome giggle when she heard him growl in response.

Seigi smiled at her laughed and stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I will go and announce your arrival," he stated as he walked over to the door. Sliding it open he bowed at the entrance. "My lords and ladies; the Shikon Miko is ready to make her appearance."

The room was entirely silent; almost deadly silent.

"Lady Kagome, Shikon Miko, the Youkai Court has summoned you," bellowed a deep and powerful voice.

Kagome took a deep breath, and swallowed hard before walking into the room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shippo was once again having a dream; a good dream. Kagome was returning back to him and in her hands were tons of pocky. She was giving him one of her warm smiles and he was sure he heard Inuyasha's constant ranting behind him about how his okaa-san was late once again.

"Okaa-san!" he cried out to her but cried out as he suddenly saw Kagome fall to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Okaa-san?"

There were demons surrounding her, and Shippo ran over to his okaa-san, but the more he ran, the farther Kagome seemed to be.

"Kagome!" he screamed for her, yet it seemed like his voice was no longer reaching her.

"Shippo!" This voice was somewhat familiar to him, but all he could see was Kagome being taken away from him with other youkai. The fear in her eyes tore his small form apart and he screamed for her again. "Shippo!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Shippo!" cried Rin as she tried to wake the nightmarish kitsune as he constantly called out the name of her sensei. He had accidentally fallen asleep for a nap after the nice inu-youkai had taken them to a bath. Rin thought it harmless to let him sleep while she waited for Sesshomaru, but the moment Shippo started to cry out, she could not stand it anymore.

"Shippo-chan, please wake up!" she cried out to him and began to shake his small form. "Shippo!"

Shippo suddenly cried out his okaa-san's name again and sat straight up, eyes wide and looking frantically around the room in search of someone. When he came face to face with Rin, he seemed to calm down slightly.

"Rin?" he asked, looking a bit fearfully while trying to get reacquainted with his surroundings.

"It's ok, Shippo-chan!" Rin immediately said to him reassuringly. "Kagome-sensei is here…she's safe! We're all going to be ok!"

"Where's okaa-san?" he questioned, still looking around the room. "Where's Sesshomaru-sama?"

"I don't know," Rin answered truthfully. "Jun-chan said that we were to wait here for Sesshomaru-sama, but he hasn't come yet." She smiled at him. "But he will! I know Sesshomaru-sama will come for us!"

Shippo smiled at her and nodded his head. "Yeah."

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**_PLEASE REVIEW! They are what keeps these chapters coming!!!_**


	9. The Summoning of the Shikon Miko, Kagome

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

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_A/N: Because of computer problems, LC cannot be my beta at this time…instead, let us welcome Danyealle to the team!!! I just want to thank her so much for all her help with this fanfic! Dany, I really appreciate it!_

_FOR DOKUGA: I would also like to take the time to thank my "mate" Inc (Incomprehensible) who helped me greatly through this chapter. I really could not have gotten the council members done without her! _

_Thanks Incy!!!_

_I AM SORRY that it has been taking so long to update this story…I am getting back on track though so hopefully I will be able to update two or three new chapters within the next few days!_

_I would love to hear some reviews or comments about how this story is going for you guys!_

_OH! And if you haven't seen it already…check out the cover of this fanfic that Lady Sianna was kind enough to draw for me! I absolutely love it and hope you guys like it as well!_

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Chapter Nine: The Summoning of the Shikon Miko, Kagome

Sango sighed as she once again found her dear hanyou friend lying on one of Goshinboku's many branches, starring off the direction that Kagome had left days ago. He came back to the village every once in a while for a meal or to help out with some of the villagers who were building new huts, but little short of a fire or demon would bring him back otherwise. The small village outside of Inuyasha's forest would not be small for very much longer - both Miroku and Sango knew this.

Sango heard the call of her husband behind her – the children were terrorizing him once again – but Sango just smiled. Inuyasha had obviously heard the call as well and turned to Sango.

"Aren't you going to go take care of the brats?" Inuyasha asked before jumping down to join her at the base of Goshinboku.

"Maybe in a while," Sango replied, laughing at her husband's misfortune. "I need a break every once and a while, too. Besides, you and Miroku just got back from taking care of the lizard demon that was terrorizing one of the northern villages, so it's time Miroku spent time with his children."

Inuyasha smirked. "Yeah," he simply replied then returned his gaze back to the path his mate-to-be traveled.

"She'll be alright, Inuyasha," Sango comforted, a smile on her face as she turned her gaze in the same direction as he had. "Our Kagome is very strong. We've seen her face countless demons, not to mention Naraku, Sesshomaru, _and _you when you transformed, and not once was she afraid. I'm even sure she's standing in front of the courts right now, ordering them around and making them do things only the Kagome _we_ know could make them do!"

Inuyasha chuckled at his friend's heated statement. "Yeah, I can believe that," he said firmly before looking directly at Sango's face. "Let's head back. If we don't meet up with Miroku soon, he'll be sending your brats to come tackle me again." He narrowed his eyes in a joking fashion. "And that's worse than Kagome's 'sits!'"

Sango laughed heartily and watched Inuyasha walk back into the trees towards the small village they called a home. Sighing once more, she took one last glance at the path the young miko had traveled and let out a small prayer before following behind Inuyasha.

_Be safe, Kagome._

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"Ah, so Lord Sesshomaru finally makes his appearance." A nekomata with blue-like hair and white eyes commented, a teasing lilt in her dulcet tone. She had somewhat of tan colored skin with two crescent – black – tribal like markings underneath each of her eyes. Like all of the other youkai in the room, she had pointed ears and sharp fangs. Her smile was cool and collected, but even Sesshomaru knew the fiery and passionate cat behind the mask this feline wore. Lady Setsuko was around Hisao's age, perhaps only few decades younger, but the feline was a friend of his mother; the type of youkai you didn't want to mess with unless you wanted the harsh punishments that came along with it.

"Setsuko, do not tease the poor boy," spoke a very wise and intellectual voice. This had come from Lord Kazuhiro, a mujina, or, rather, a badger youkai, whom of which was considered the scholar amongst all the youkai lords. Though he had spoken to Lady Setsuko, Lord Kazuhiro's dark brown eyes never left the old, yellowed page as he peered through countless words of the ancient scrolls of the youkai. He had dark black hair with silvery white streaks; it was rather short for his kin, but Lord Kazuhiro with his white skin, found it more comfortable to have his shoulder–length hair pulled up into a ponytail at all times.

He was roughly around Hisao's age as well, but Sesshomaru knew that this old badger had grown with both his sire and Hisao. He was a rather kind youkai, but the Western Lord had witnessed him under pressure before, and when invoked, he exploded. Yet, the old youkai was known to have a good sense of humor as well, which Sesshomaru found quite refreshing sometimes. And much like Lady Kameyo, who sat to the left of Hisao, Kazuhiro bore no markings except for a scar that ran from one side of his face to the bottom opposite side. "It's good to see you again, Sesshomaru."

"Greetings as well, Lord Kazuhiro," Sesshomaru acknowledged, nodding shortly before moving to his seat. Next to his chair sat Lord Masanori, a younger youkai – snake demon – with short platinum white hair and bright green eyes. The Western Lord merely glared at the youkai who was in similar age to himself. Masanori was a petulant child; an attention-seeker. This demon also bore a snake-like mark that started from the middle of his left cheek that swirled down to the base of his neck: a trademark of his family.

"You have done what was requested, I take it, Lord Sesshomaru?" Ah, now Lady Tomoko was a mystery to even the council. A tanuki – raccoon youkai – with long, brown hair and tanned skin, yet, what astounded the council the most were her hazel eyes. Tomoko, who was also around the same age as Sesshomaru, was blind, but, at the same time, she wasn't. Though Tomoko was quite literally blind, she could sense other demon's "youki" and could tell things like position and emotional stability – she could even see things realistically.

Though she, too, was an attention-seeker, she was more mature than Masanori. You see, Tomoko was forced into a mating – her mate died several decades ago – and it was heavily believed she had abandonment issues; a caring creature by nature, but a hard ruler, and very difficult to persuade.

Sesshomaru nodded his head to her as he took his seat. He looked to Lady Kameyo who smiled and nodded her head at him. He simply replied with his usual "Hn" and kept looking at the familiar faces around the room.

The council sat in a crescent like state, with Sesshomaru sitting at the far left and Hisao sitting to the far right. Next to Sesshomaru was Lord Masanori, who, in turn, sat next to Lord Kouga, who simply sat in seat, quiet and looking around the room in fairly the same manner that Sesshomaru was. Beside Kouga was Lady Tomoko and next to her was Lady Setsuko. Lord Kazuhiro sat somewhat in the "center" of the crescent shape and continuing next to him Lady Naoki.

Lady Naoki, a kitsune with short-ish red hair, blue eyes and tan skin. No markings, but then again, she was the oldest council member and it is said that long before Inu no Taisho was even ruler of the Western Lands; youkai simply lived amongst the humans; almost to the point of blending in. During those times, or as Lady Naoki would tell you, it was rather hard to tell the difference between humans and youkai. The only true difference was their auras which sometimes influenced the leaders of those villages at that time. However, that all changed centuries ago when youkai took it upon themselves to rule certain parts of the land.

Level-headed, though not opinionated, Lady Naoki is best described as a child at heart. She lived in the "old" way of youkai life, where the alphas used to be only the females of the packs and the males were loners. Though that way of life has changed over the centuries, Naoki and her mate still lived with the mindset of those times. While her mate was away on the other continent seeking out one of their kits, Lady Naoki stayed behind, dealing with the courts and the way of the land.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he continued down the line.

Next to Lady Naoki was Lord Masahiro: a silent lord who barely ever said a word to anyone other than his mate, but from what the Western Lord did know of him, he was calculating and always chose what was best for him in certain situations. This demon lord simply sat back in his chair, looking about the room and meeting eyes with Masanori every once in a while, narrowing his gaze before turning his head and sighing.

Between him and Lady Kameyo was Lady Miyoko. Though she too was a Hebi youkai with bright strawberry–blonde hair, dark green eyes, and yellow-like skin, Miyoko was younger than Sesshomaru and very much different from Masanori, who was somehow related to her (Sesshoumaru had never asked, and they never spoke of it). She was the youngest of the council members, having to only just come to power because of the sudden passing of her father; a sweet personality, caring and liked to help anyone as much as she could, though, as a ruler, Miyoko was quite a contradictory kind of youkai. She stuck to schedules closely and didn't forgive easily; a neutralist. Often times, Sesshomaru got the impression that Miyoko didn't care about race or species, though he had observed how she feared anything to do with change and had a habit of hesitating.

Quickly passing his gaze past Kameyo, a little annoyed by her fluttering eyes, Sesshomaru met his uncle's gaze. Both were still very concerned about this gathering, wondering what was going on and why on earth Lady Naoki as well as Lord Kazuhiro had allowed this to come to past.

"Now that we are all here," Lady Naoki began, "I believe it is time to summon the Shikon Miko."

"Here, here!" They agreed.

"Lady Kagome, Shikon Miko, the Youkai Court has summoned you," Lord Kazuhiro announced.

The room went deathly silent as the doors slid open. Sesshomaru looked to the other lords and ladies, studying their reactions as he heard the shuffling feet of the miko enter the room. The younger of the council members gasped at the outright beauty of this small human, while the older members were calmer, holding the masks over their faces with a such control that not even Sesshomaru could tell what exactly they were thinking.

He turned his gaze back to Kagome to find her in a proper bow - no doubt of the ladies of this palace had taught her how to do so shortly after she had bathed. All the lords of the ladies bowed their heads in replied and so the miko stood tall, lifting her chin high to them. Sesshomaru could not help but smirk at this.

"Let me be the first to state for my fellow council members that we are much honored to be in your presence, Shikon Miko," Lady Setsuko said as she leaned comfortably into her seat.

"I would like to request that I be referred to as Kagome, dear lords and ladies," she replied in a cool tone, keeping it firm and strong.

"And what would be your reasons for that?" Lord Kazuhiro questioned, his eyes still attached on one of the pages of the ancient scroll.

"I am simply not accustomed to being called by my title, my lord," Kagome stated. "Though I too am honored to be here with you great lords and ladies, I find it quite uncomfortable to be called with a title when the Shikon no Tama is no longer in existence. I am simply the miko Kagome. I have seen and done many things, I have fought countless youkai - hanyou and humans alike. It is very important to me for my name to be recognized; not my title."

The tension in the room was somewhat lifted for the time being, some of the ladies smiled at Kagome and were growing to like this human in a very short period of time.

"I believe, we shall accept you request, then, Lady Kagome," Lady Miyoko sweetly said with one of her kind smiles. Kagome smiled in return and bowed her head in thanks.

"And so it shall be written that the Shikon Miko's request has been granted," Lord Kazuhiro announced, his voice echoing around the council room as he raised a quill and wrote it down on the scroll he had been reading from.

Kagome clasped her hands together in front of her, waiting to hear what these demons wanted from her. All was silent for a few minutes as both the youkai and the miko watched Lord Kazuhiro for any signs of continuing. When he was finished writing in the scroll, he placed the quill down and for the first time in a long time, he took his eyes off the scroll to Kagome.

"Kagome, although as Lady Setsuko has said that we are honored for you to be here, I'm afraid to say that this summons is not on pleasant terms," he began slowly.

Sesshomaru raised his left eyebrow to this statement, and leaned forward in his seat slightly. He took a quick glance towards the miko and saw that she seemed confused.

"Would you care to clarify, Kazuhiro?" Lord Masanori questioned. His legs were propped up in front of him and he seemed to be reclining quite comfortably in his chair.

"That's _Lord_ Kazuhiro to you, hebi," Lady Naoki sneered and Masanori simply snorted but refused to comment back. "Continue, please, Lord Kazuhiro."

"Yes, as I was stating: Kagome, with the destruction of the Shikon no Tama as well as the death of the evil hanyou known as Naraku, the youkai have come together to recognize you a powerful miko."

"You see, Kagome, the only other powerful miko that has ever caught the attention of the youkai is Midoriko," Lady Miyoko interrupted, her smile fading somewhat.

"Lady Midoriko befriended both the Western and Northern Lord," Lady Setsuko added.

"My sire?" Sesshomaru questioned, shocked by this news.

"Hai, Sesshomaru, your sire and my grand-sire," Lady Miyoko replied with a smile. "However, this was long before both you and I were born. My grand-sire had taken a mate at this point and shortly after the birth of my sire, there were rumors of a possible mating between my grand-sire and Lady Midoriko." She then stood, head bowed slightly. "But you see, because of this rumor, Lady Midoriko and my grand-sire got into a fight; an epic battle that ultimately 'ended' both of their lives."

"Miyoko, are you stating that it is the Northern Lord that had been trapped in the Shikon no Tama with the miko Midoriko?" Sesshomaru asked and he heard Kagome gasp.

"Yes, it was he," Miyoko replied, sitting and bowing her head lower.

"Then what's to stop this miko from doing the same?" Masanori questioned, pointed his clawed fingertips towards Kagome. "We all know that she favors youkai, is even _friends_ with the hanyou half-brother of Sesshomaru." Kagome looked over to Sesshomaru and saw him growl, glaring at Masanori. "You've brought us together; have you not Lord Kazuhiro, to take away the powers of this young miko?"

"What?" Kagome exclaimed, causing the youkai to look at her. "Don't take away my powers! Please! I beg you!"

"You can't be serious Masanori!" Kouga was the first to jump to his feet at Kagome's defense. "My soon-to-be-mate would never do anything to hurt any of us!"

The room erupted in gasps. "Mate?" This question echoed throughout the room.

"You see? She is no different than that same miko who took our dear Lord Daichi, using his power against us and being consumed inside of a small jewel, forever to be lost to not only his pack, but to this council," Masanori exclaimed.

"I have to concur with Lord Masanori on this subject," Lady Tomoko agreed. "This miko Kagome has proven that she has magnificent powers, dangerous to all youkai. It is unwise to keep this human around with her amount of powers."

"Well I disagree," Lady Kameyo stated. "Although I have only known this human for a short amount of time, she has made no moves to be rude to me, nor harm me in any fashion."

"Lady Midoriko was the same way, Lady Kameyo," Lady Naoki stated. "You were not there, but I certainly was. Lady Midoriko posed no threat to us at the time, nor did we heed the warnings we had received about her powers. It was too late to save Lord Daichi, and Lady Miyoko, you have my apology. I am forced to agree with Lord Masanori at this time."

Hisao simply snorted and everyone turned their gazes to him. He looked back at all of them, but then caught a strong hold on a particular gaze. "What is your intake on this matter, Sesshomaru?"

Everyone turned their gaze to the Western Lord who seemed to be narrowing his eyes at his uncle. Sesshomaru stood from his seat, moving over to the miko who was trembling under not only the council's gaze, but especially under the half-brother of her true mate-to-be.

_Please, Sesshomaru,_ Kagome begged in her thoughts. _I know you hate humans, probably me most of all for being friends with your half-brother. But please seek mercy for me. If you do that, I promise, I'll never call you "nii-chan" ever again!_

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_Please be sure to review!!! Reviews help keep my muse keep creating these fantastically long chapters for you guys!_

_The more reviews, the more words there are!!!_


	10. The Youkai Decision

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

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_A/N: So, I am very pleased to see that this story is doing so well. I've been really touched by the reviews I have received on the three sites that this is on. The last chapter was especially hard for me to write and I'm so happy you guys liked it. _

_Ok, for those who are thinking that taking Kagome's powers away is a bad thing…well, you're right. I totally believe in the Ying and Yang of Miko and Youkai so please trust me on this! I'm not going to do something extreme…and I hate when storylines go that way!_

_Also, I want to give HUGE thanks to Monti who was very kind enough to draw Hisao for me! You can view him here:_

__

.com/art/view/23889

_Please be sure to tell Monti what you think of her work! _

_Thanks Monti! *BIG HUGGLES!!!*_

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Chapter Ten: The Youkai Decision

The room was deathly silent as many eyes followed the graceful form of the Western Lord. He simply walked around the miko, studying her small form, almost as if he had never laid eyes on this particular mortal before. He flicked her hair to the side at one point and watched as the young woman shivered. Curiously, there was no fear in her eyes. At least, not fear of harm from his person; he swirled to a stop behind her and moved his eyes across the lords and ladies in the room.

Kagome gulped rather loudly than she wanted, and she was sure Sesshomaru had heard it, nearly giggling when he shot his eyes over to her before looking back to the Youkai Court. She blushed at his short glare and gasped within herself at her actions.

_Why in the world am I acting this away?_ Kagome pondered for the moment. _Ever since Sesshomaru came and got me from Kaede-baba's village, I've had this strange feeling growing within me. In fact, I'm starting to notice some outward changes happening to Sesshomaru! _Her eyes shot behind her to Sesshomaru, who was still looking to the Court members and remaining very silent. _I mean look at him; that jerk! He won't stand up for me! Who are you kidding, Kagome? This is Sesshomaru we're talking about. This is the demon who loathes humans. There's no way-_

"This Sesshomaru believes the miko should be allowed to keep her powers," he stated and was certain he heard a squeak from the young girl.

"What?" This exclamation had erupted from everyone in a very shocked tone. Even his uncle had his eyes wide at the Western Lord's statement.

"Hn," Sesshomaru simply responded. He walked from behind Kagome and stood in front of her; almost as though he were protecting her. This caused most of the lords and ladies to look at one another. Lord Masanori raised his eyebrow and placed his feet on the floor to lean forward in his seat. "I had been there when this miko defeated Naraku. She has stood up to many demons, hanyous, and humans alike, but it was always in a way of protection for my insolent half-brother and the rest of their pack."

He turned to look at Kagome. "This young miko has even stood up to this Sesshomaru; a thing not many have dared and survived." Kagome rolled her eyes quickly and luckily, only Sesshomaru caught the small action and raised his eyebrow at her. "She had raised her arrow at me, threatened me, but this Sesshomaru believes she would have never harmed me, nor will she ever." He turned back to the council.

"Whether or not that is true, Lord Sesshomaru, this Kagome has the power to kill any of us in a single second," Lord Masanori questioned.

"It is unmistakable that this miko holds power, this is something even this Sesshomaru cannot deny, but it is unnecessary for the youkai to bind her powers." He took a few steps toward the council. "Mikos are born with the power to kill youkai. We are given the power to kill them. We are NOT within our rights to take away a miko's powers. By doing that, the miko's should be given the same liberty to take away something just as important to us whether it is our youkai or our immortality.

"Council members, this Sesshomaru is not denying that there must be precautions taken with this miko. However, taking away her powers is something that we cannot and must not do," he finished, glaring at them in an almost in a threatening way.

Kagome stared at him in awe, wanting nothing more than to rush up and hug him from behind. But she was sure that if she had done something like that, Sesshomaru would more than likely kill her for 'touching his person.' _Why is he standing up for me?_ She thought to herself. _Why? What do you have planned Sesshomaru?_

"If we are to agree with what you have stated Lord Sesshomaru, then we must come to another agreement on what that precaution is," Lady Tomoko stated as she tossed her hair to the side.

"Bind her to a youkai," Hisao suddenly stated as his eyes met with Sesshomaru. The room once again erupted with arguments but Hisao turned to them and slammed his fist on the table, causing poor Kagome to jump. "Listen to me! When we agreed to allow my brother to mate with that human we had her bind to him in a way that a youkai mate is." Most of them perked up at this idea; Lord Masanori snorted at it.

"Binding this miko to a simple youkai isn't the answer, Lord Hisao," Lord Masanori commented, holding up his chin in a defiant way.

Hisao smirked at the young snake lord. "I was not stating that we bind her to a 'simple' youkai, Lord Masanori," he replied coolly.

"Then elaborate," Lord Masanori mocked.

"Kagome will mate with a strong youkai," Hisao responded quickly. "Possibly a youkai lord."

"What?" the room exclaimed, including Kagome.

"Binding her to one of us?" Lord Masanori hissed. "You've gone mad, Lord Hisao."

Sesshomaru let out a dangerous growl and raised his clawed hand toward Masanori. "Do not threaten those of my bloodline, Masanori."

"Have you taken a liking to the idea, Lord Sesshomaru?" Lady Setsuko questioned, standing up and glaring to her eyes.

"What?" he growled at her.

"Oh come now; you are the son of your father, are you not?" she teased cruelly and was met with deep red eyes as well as claws around her throat. Though, these claws were not from the same hand as Sesshomaru; these were from Hisao.

"Watch with what you say bitch," Hisao warned with a dangerously low tone. "You will NOT speak ill of my brother."

"She's only stating the truth Lord Hisao," Lord Masanori stated with a smirk on his face. "You were referring to Lord Sesshomaru as Kagome's mate, were you not?"

"Why not you, Lord Masanori?" Lady Naoki suggested and Masanori snorted once more.

"With that human? What a disgusting idea," he admitted. "I will not taint my blood with hanyous. Even this miko's powers would not be able to produce a full-blooded youkai. Whoever mates with her will have youkai children. Do we truly want that for any of us?" The room was silent at this question.

Kagome's head was spinning. _NO! Inuyasha's going to be my mate! We're going to get married the second I come back and we're going to have a bunch of beautiful kids together! How could any of them agree to something like this? Do they really expect me to go along with it too?_

"Don't you dare call her disgusting Masanori!" Kouga exclaimed, standing up. "Any cub born of Kagome will be very powerful! I agree with Lord Hisao. I will take Kagome as my mate and we will bind her to me. She will still have her miko powers but I will keep them in check to make sure no harm comes to any youkai."

"It's _Lord_ Masanori to you ookami," he hissed. "You human lover. So quick to stand up for this mortal? You don't deserve the title of being one of the council members!"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Lord Kazuhiro slammed both of his fists – that were also holding the ancient scrolls – onto the table and stood up. "Kagome, I apologize on behalf of this council. As much as you have helped us with the Shikon no Tama, the biased emotions against humans is still very strong." She nodded her head but the frown on her face did not go unnoticed. "Lord Masanori, you will learn to respect the Shikon Miko. And Lord Kouga, you will remain silent until I see fit." Both nodded their heads and lay back in their seats. Lord Kazuhiro's youki was almost suffocating the entire room and his dark eyes were deadly to look at. Everyone shook off the small shiver that ran up their spines. Kazuhiro was not the kind of demon you wanted to piss off. "Now, regarding this matter I will also agree with Lord Hisao," He held up his hand as some of the ladies began to argue, "but it will be with a youkai of our choosing."

"The miko is promised to my half-brother," Sesshomaru stated and was positive that he heard Kagome sigh in relief behind him.

"Is this true?" Lord Kazuhiro asked as he turned his gaze to Kagome, his eyes were a lot calmer now and he was slowly sitting back into his seat.

"Yes, my lord," Kagome replied with a nod of her head.

"Has he marked you yet?" he continued to question.

"Mark?" She tilted her head slightly at the question.

"Has he bitten you yet miko?" Sesshomaru rephrased, looking over his shoulder.

"No," she said in a shocked tone.

"Then he is no threat," Lord Kazuhiro stated. "Kagome, it is in my opinion that being paired with a full-blooded youkai will be a better match for you." She began to protest but Sesshomaru turned to her and glared at her, shutting her up immediately.

_You CAN'T be serious!_ Kagome exclaimed in her thoughts.

"Adding to what Lord Hisao has suggested, I will also make another note on the precautions with Kagome," Lord Kazuhiro continued. "Lord Masanori is unfortunately correct that Kagome will never be able to bear full-blooded youkai. With that said, I say that we will not take away her powers but she will be forbidden from bearing any children from the youkai she is mated to." Gasps began to fill up the room.

"I cannot allow anyone to agree with that," Lady Kameyo exclaimed. "How dare you say that we forbid a woman from bearing pups? That is ultimately a cruel idea!"

"A hanyou cannot rule," Lord Kazuhiro replied coolly. "It is an ancient commandment that has been passed down since the beginning of the youkai. If a miko and youkai were to mate, the hanyou would be quite powerful and their powers are always uncontrollable. To forbid Kagome from having hanyous with a youkai will be not only saving any future hanyous from her but will also be saving her the risk of bearing one. We have witnessed from many human woman the horror and pain they go through when bearing a hanyou."

"But Kagome is a miko," Lady Kameyo argued. "She can handle it! I for one will not agree to that!"

"I as well," Lady Miyoko agreed. "I cannot stand the idea of taking away the gift of bearing for any female, be they youkai or human."

"I cannot agree too, Lord Kazuhiro," Lord Hisao stated. "Lady Kameyo is right; it is a cruel punishment for any female to have."

"Nevertheless, it must be done," Lord Kazuhiro stated. He looked towards Kagome and saw her head hanging low with soft tears floating in her eyes. She was trying hard not to cry in front of them but her aura was very sad and it was starting upset most of the females in the room; they wanted desperately to comfort her with this.

"We will take a vote," Lady Tomoko stated. "All those in favor of the Shikon Miko mating with a strong youkai, possibly a youkai lord, please raise your hand now."

_I can't believe they're doing this, and that they think I'm actually going to go along with it. _Kagome was horrified, upset, and incredibly angry about the whole ordeal that was taking place against her will. There was no way she was going to stand there and let this happen and yet, she was. Sesshomaru continued to stand there and glare at her, daring her to make a move so he could stop her. She wondered whether or not he was actually paying attention to what the other council members were saying with the stare this youkai held on her.

However, the young miko's mind drew to a blank when the first hand was raised. It had been from Masanori; his action causing some people to gasp at his decision. Following his hand, was Lady Kameyo who winked at Kagome in a reassuring way. The miko was a bit dumbfounded and angry at this, but remained silent. Lord Hisao, Kouga, and Naoki were the next ones to raise their hands, Kouga seemed extremely happy to be raising his and grinned at the young woman who simply rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. Kazuhiro slowly raised his hand and avoided eye contact with her. He was a bit sympathetic for the miko, but he could not deny her power or the danger she held against his kin.

All eyes then fell to Sesshomaru as he slowly raised his hand. Kagome's eyes widened at this and met his fierce gaze once more. He was just as emotionless as he had been the moment they had first met outside of Inuyasha's forest. A couple of mumbles went about the room but Kazuhiro and Hisao's deathly glare silenced them immediately. Once the vote was counted, the hands fell.

"All opposed?" Lady Tomoko questioned as she quickly raised her hand in the air.

_Fool,_ Sesshomaru thought. _It matters not how many are opposed to the idea. Seven out of the eleven council members have just agreed. She is trying to see which is opposed to the idea._

Lord Masahiro was the second one to raise his hand, but his action did not shock the council. He was merely the extra vote; even the silent lord knew that much.

Lady Setsuko and Lady Miyoko also raised their hands, which proved that four out of eleven members were opposed o the idea. Lady Tomoko huffed and wrote the counts down, handing a paper to Kazuhiro who started to write on it as well.

"Let it be said that the Youkai Court has agreed, by seven votes out of eleven, that the Shikon Miko Kagome will be hereby be mated to a full-blooded youkai of the court's approval. Whereas her powers will be bonded to the youkai to lesson the threat of her existence," Lord Kazuhiro announced before setting aside the paper he had just scribed on.

"Now on the matter of this young miko being forbidden to bear any hanyou of the youkai she is mated to," Lady Tomoko stated as she pulled out another piece of paper. "All those in favor of this, please raise your hand now."

Lord Masanori, once again, was the first to raise his hand. Though this time, his action did not shock the court. Following him was Lord Kazuhiro, who, once again, refused to meet with Kagome's eyes as he did so. Lady Tomoko and Lady Miyoko were the next ones to raise their hands and Kagome's head started to drop as she was overcome emotionally by great sadness.

Gasps filled the room once more as Lord Hisao was the next to raise his hand. Unlike Lord Kazuhiro, however, he caught a hold of Kagome's gaze firmly, telling her that his decision was final and that he was sure of what he was doing. Kagome almost smirked when Lady Kameyo reached over and hit his shoulder lightly; fury filling the youkai's gaze.

More gasps arose as another hand was raised. Kagome looked about the room at the other lords and ladies, but suddenly noticed that the last to raise their hand was none other that Sesshomaru.

_You too Sesshomaru? _Kagome looked straight at him and his gaze met back with hers. _Why does this surprise me though? Come on Kagome, you know how much he hates Inuyasha. What better way then to seek some sort of revenge than to have me marry a full-blooded youkai and not be allowed to have any hanyous?_

"All opposed?" Lady Tomoko asked after she had counted the votes and the hands fell down once more.

Lady Kameyo's hand was the first to shoot up in the air, her eyes burning with fire. She was completely furious that Hisao and Sesshomaru had both raised their hands for allowing them to take away Kagome's right to have a pup. She had grown fond of the young miko almost immediately and would be sure to see to it that the famous Shikon Miko would be happy for the remainder of her years. Kouga was the next to raise his hand and some of the court members rolled their eyes at this.

Surprisingly however, Lady Setsuko and Lord Masahiro were the next ones to raise their hands. Though they had been against her mating with a youkai, both couldn't stand the thought of taking away the right to bear children from Kagome.

The last one to raise their hand was Lady Naoki, who looked sadly at the young miko, for everyone knew what the votes had stated. Lady Naoki really did not need to raise her hand nor did any of the others on the opposing side. Sesshomaru's hand had been the deciding factor.

Lady Tomoko counted the votes once more and like before, passed the paper over to Lord Kazuhiro. He also began to write on this piece of paper before stating, "Now let it also be said that the Youkai Court has agreed by six votes out of eleven that the Shikon Miko Kagome will be hereby restricted from ever producing a hanyou child with a youkai mate. It is in this Court's opinion that this regulation be made in effect due to the safety of the child and the safety of the miko."

Kagome could not take much more of this.

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_A/N Continued: You guys are probably asking why Kagome doesn't stand up to the Youkai Court. The NEXT chapter will be Kagome's defiance against their rulings and I want you to know that I haven't forgotten the Kagome we all know and love. I PROMISE…Kagome will have her say, one way or another, in this fanfic!_

_PLEASE remember to REVIEW! I enjoy reading all of your comments. They help me out when writing these chapters and I want very much to please you guys as much as I can allow!_


	11. The Miko's Refusal

_Total Eclipse of the Heart_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic._

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_Author's Note:_

_Wow, as many of you have mentioned in either a review or message to me...it has been a full year since I last updated this story. For this, I can only apologize and thank those who have waited for this chapter! I'm currently working on the next one and should have it up before the end of the weekend..but don't hold me to that._

_I want you guys to understand the situation as to why it took so long for this chapter to appear:_

_The most important reason - my father passed away last November. In previous chapters, you may have seen me mention about him being sick...but I am sad to report that he is no longer here anymore. I am doing well...for those who are concerned...but I whole-heartedly ask you to please be even more patient with me. I am trying to get these chapters done to the best of my abilities and I refuse to post a new chapter up until it meets my expectations._

_The other reason that it took so long for this update is due to my extremely busy schedule. I am a college student and have had very little time to be near my computer to read, write, review, etc fanfics. It is now the end of another semester and though I have 4 weeks left, I am finding few time on weekends to spend on this fanfic._

_I wish to thank my betas Inc and Ali. I really appreciate all their help! _

_This chapter is dedicated in memory to my father. RIP Dad.

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Chapter Eleven: The Miko's Refusal

"No," Kagome's firm voice echoed in the room and all the lords and ladies turned to her.

"What?" Lord Kazuhiro asked in a bit of a shocked tone, his hand continuing to scribe on the piece of paper while his eyes turned to the young miko.

"I said no," she repeated. "I won't allow you to dictate my life."

"Pf, you have no choice human," Lord Masanori spat and smirked at her.

"Oh yes I do," she took a step forward and ignored the way Sesshomaru moved towards her. "I'm human, not youkai and therefore do not fit under your laws and judgment. I came here with little expectations; for the most part, praise and thanks for me saving your sorry asses. I won't allow you to tell me, command me, how I will now live out the rest of my life. I am to be Inuyasha's mate; I will marry him, we will have children, and we will live happily in the small village near the Bone Eater's Well. You do not dictate what I do or how I am going to do things. These are my decisions alone and if saving youkai and humans from the destruction of Naraku and the Shikon no Tama isn't proof enough that I would do nothing to harm anyone, then you are just going to have to deal with it because I am not going along with your stupid plan."

Many of the lords and ladies were on their feet in a heartbeat, their youki began filling the air and causing a lot of tension amongst one another. Sesshomaru was in front of Kagome, staring down at her with eyes that seemed angry yet there was some sort of amusement behind the anger.

"Foolish miko," he mumbled under his breath; it was low enough for her to hear, and when she did, she simply glared back up at him. She was slightly taken aback as she turned to him and saw a small smirk on his face.

"How dare you?" Lord Masanori sneered as he nearly jumped over the table, though luckily, Hisao was there to hold him back. "You stupid bitch, we're doing you a favor! How dare you speak to us when not spoken to?"

"I will speak my mind freely if I want to!" Kagome argued, her miko powers slowly beginning to surface. Sesshomaru glared her down and she glared right back. "I am NOT going to do this, Sesshomaru." She was seething through her teeth, but her words were low, thankfully, and could only reach his ears.

"Lord Sesshomaru, was she not made aware of the traditions she was to uphold while in our presence?" Lord Kazuhiro quickly questioned as he too was out of his seat and a bit steamed about this "rule-breaking."

"She was," Sesshomaru retorted, his burning gaze never leaving the miko's. "However," he turned to the council, surprising Kagome slightly, "this Sesshomaru believes that we should allow this miko a break. While we contemplate on the choice of mate for her, she should be allowed some time alone where she can gather her wits. This Sesshomaru has seen this miko in similar situations, and while it is unfortunate that she likes to speak her mind, she can just as easily relax when she has had some time to herself."

_Oh what the hell would you know about that, Sesshomaru?_ Kagome thought furiously but suddenly blinked. _Actually, he's right. He's RIGHT? _"No!"

Her outburst was somewhat ignored as the room started to cool down and Lord Kazuhiro nodded his head. "Very well, Osamu!" A young tanuki warrior immediately appeared in the room beside Kagome and Sesshomaru in a cloud of glitter.

"What would you have of me, my lord?" Osamu questioned while posed in a low bow.

"Escort Miko Kagome out to the northern garden," he ordered, sitting down in his seat and pulling out another scroll. "Have either Usagi or Yoko bring her out a nice lunch, then please see to it that she is brought back to us."

"Hai," Osamu stated and immediately stood, turning to Kagome and giving her a short bow. Kagome simply rolled her eyes, her eyes darting to Sesshomaru in a glare before following the young warrior out the door. Both were thinking the same thing:

_This is FAR from over. _

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"That was not a wise decision, my lady," Osamu stated as he walked, and somewhat forced, Kagome away from the gathering. "The Youkai Court is not known to be of the forgiving kind."

"I don't really care," Kagome growled, her miko powers – although bound by the collar around her throat – were trying to flare. "They have no right to dictate me!"

"They are the highest ranking youkai lords in this world." Osamu raised an eyebrow to this woman. "They can dictate the lives of who they wish and it truly matters not if they be hanyou, human, or youkai." He sighed and stopped, turning to her. "If I may speak freely, my lady; they are afraid of you. We all are."

"Afraid?" Kagome repeated. "I would never do anything to hurt anyone. That's against everything I've ever been taught, how I've been raised, what it means to be a miko."

"It matters not," he continued. "The power is still there."

"But I'm not Midoriko!" Kagome exclaimed. "I keep getting compared to others and that's not really fair! I am Kagome! Ka-go-me!"

"Kagome!" Kagome and Osamu turned their heads to see Kouga running towards them; within moments, he was standing in front of the young miko and pulling her hands into his. She looked at the wolf lord with narrowed eyes.

"What do you want Kouga?"

"My lord," Osamu quickly interjected and bowed low to the wolf. "Forgive my questioning but are you not suppose to be debating with the other lords and ladies?" The tanuki had never seen a lord leave during a meeting before.

"I don't care what those bakas argue about," Kouga replied angrily then his face became gentler as he turned to Kagome again. "Kagome, I agree with you. I don't think they have a right to dictate your life like that but you are not in the right either in this situation. At this point, the court is really not going to have a choice but to go along with their decision and force this decree upon you." Kagome was about to protest but Kouga quickly put a finger to her lips to stop her. "You can't argue with this Kagome; trust me. Please, you have to go along with what they say. If you don't, the only other option will be death."

"How dare you?" Kagome seethed. "You know better than tell me these things Kouga. You know my heart only belongs to Inuyasha and no matter what, I will refuse this. Neither you nor the court change my mind."

"Hn."

Osamu bowed once more as Sesshomaru came out of the shadows; both Kouga and Kagome narrowed their eyes as he neared them. Out of instinct, Kouga immediately jumped in front of "his woman" however, Kagome was slightly annoyed by this impulse.

"Stay away from her," Kouga warned and Sesshomaru simply retorted with another "hn."

"That was a very foolish thing you did in there, miko," Sesshomaru stated, completely ignoring Kouga. "Why do you refuse to accept this fate?"

"Why? WHY?" Kagome exploded.

"The youkai court will be more than sure to pair you with a suitable mate."

"I disagree," she seethed. "Knowing my luck, I'll end up with someone who hates humans." She threw a pointing look at Sesshomaru as if to say "someone like you."

"Though this Sesshomaru has no desire to be around you humans, I have never stated that I hate your kind," he stated calmly. His sentence, the fact that he used "_I_" when referring to himself shocked both Kouga and Kagome.

"You sure showed that you do," Kagome said, her temper cooling slowly. "How many times did you try to kill me and my friends? Not to mention how many times you insulted Inuyasha for his human blood." She sighed and came out from behind Kouga to stand in front of Sesshomaru. "Regardless of what either of you try to tell me to do, the fact is I love Inuyasha and I want to marry him; to have his children." She shook her head. "No matter what the youkai court decides to do with me, I obviously have no choice." Her voice turned into a barely a whisper and yet both youkai picked up the last comment. "I'd rather die."

Sesshomaru turned from them and started to walk away; Kagome's eyes were frosted with tears as she looked up to see his leaving form. The taiyoukai suddenly paused in his steps but did not turn back to face them.

"This Sesshomaru has seen a miko deal with a great many of things yet has never considered her to be a weak human. She has surprised this Sesshomaru over and over with her courage, her wisdom, her dense personality, and her overall love for any and all creatures. I admire the miko that I have seen in the past and the one that was just stood for her beliefs before the youkai court. That miko does not deserve a worthless death." And with that, he disappeared.

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_Reviews please?_


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